Says cheap rice not cosmetic or for ‘pogi’ points

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday dismissed critics claiming his administration’s project of selling rice at P20 per kilo is unsustainable, assuring the public it will be sustained until 2028.

“Watch me sustain it,” Mr. Marcos said in a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia late Tuesday evening.

“And then, we’ll talk in May of 2028, about whether it was continued or not. We found a way. We found a way to do it. We’re making deals with different countries, so the price can be finalized without changing now and then. Whatever happens down the road, we were able to do it now. We didn’t have it before. Now we do.”

“At the same time, on the other hand, we are ensuring that the purchasing price for farmers is good so they can have a decent livelihood. And the difference there – that’s what the government is paying for,” he added.

On Wednesday, Mr. Marcos said the government is studying the implementation of a “floor price” for rice to ensure that farmers earn enough and are prepared for the next planting season.

In a dialogue with farmers during his visit at the National Food Authority warehouse in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, the President emphasized the need to strike a balance between keeping rice affordable for consumers and making sure that farmers are not at a disadvantage when selling their produce.

He said the proposed measure is patterned after the floor pricing system for tobacco in his home province of Ilocos Norte.

“We’re studying it. We’re copying what we did with tobacco in Ilocos, which has a floor price so the price never drops below that,” Mr. Marcos said.

For its part, the Department of Agriculture said at least 120,000 minimum wage earners would benefit from the P20 per kilogram rice under the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na” program starting in June.

DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said they have been provided with the official list of the program’s beneficiaries nationwide.

“The initial agreement was to give them the chance to buy 10 kilograms of rice per month the) minimum wage earners,” he said.

The 10-kg. purchase limit is equivalent to 1.2 million kg. volume allocation each month.

In terms of possible transport costs for the P20/kg rice sale, de Mesa said the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) will utilize P500 million worth of allocated funds for logistics costs.

To date, the P20/kilo rice is available in 38 Kadiwa ng Pangulo sites in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa, while 16 local government units in Cebu are also rolling out the said program to the members of the vulnerable sector, including the members of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and solo parents.

The first phase of the program intends to cover areas in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental; Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar; Southern Leyte and Leyte; and Bohol, Antique, Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz Biliran; Guimaras, Siquijor, Aklan and Mindoro.

Phase 2 will be implemented starting in July in Zamboanga del Norte, Basilan, Cotabato City, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao, Davao Oriental, and Sorsogon; while the third and final phase will cover Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Catanduanes, Agusan del Sur, Sarangani and Dinagat Islands.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Marcos on P20/kilo rice project: ‘Watch me sustain it’.”