Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

For one day only, Filipinos can buy rice at P20 per kilo, the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) announced. According to the DA,  the special price will be available on September 13, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 68th birthday, under the “Handog ng Pangulo” program. The offer will be available to all Filipinos, not just vulnerable groups, in 100 select Kadiwa ng Pangulo sites and accredited stores nationwide from 8am to 5pm. Buyers need only present a valid ID and are limited to 10 kilos each. “This is President Marcos’ birthday gift to the Filipino people,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. The DA projects that at least 352,000 Filipinos will benefit from the one-day sale. The “Handog ng Pangulo” is also seen as a logistical test for a wider rollout of the administration’s flagship rice program called “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na.” Marcos officially launched the program on September 5 in Bien Unido, Bohol, where more than 2,700 residents — including senior citizens, solo parents, PWDs, and minimum wage earners — bought rice at the promised rate of P20 per kg. The initiative, implemented by the DA, aims to reach 15 million families or around 60 million Filipinos. However, its implementation has been rocky. The program was first launched on May 1 but was abruptly cut short after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) recommended suspending it ahead of the May 12 elections. Marcos had assured Filipinos that the P20 per kilo rice program will go hand-in-hand with efforts to modernize farms and boost local rice production. During his visit to Bohol earlier this month where he launched the rice subsidy program, he also inaugurated the Calunasan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project, aimed at improving agricultural productivity in the province. While many welcome the chance to buy rice at P20 per kilo — a fraction of prevailing market prices — critics remain watchful, questioning the sustainability of the program and whether it can truly be rolled out nationwide beyond symbolic one-day sales. CAM/Expat Media
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