By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As part of the government’s nationwide campaign to bring affordable yet high-quality staple grain to the country’s vulnerable sectors, the Department of Agriculture led the rollout of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program in La Union on Feb. 20.
Approximately 1,000 residents queued at Plaza de Santa Lucia in Aringay town to purchase rice sold at P20 per kilo during the program’s kickoff—representing almost half of the 2,500 beneficiaries that are expected to be initially accommodated in the administration’s flagship food initiative.
The Food Terminal Inc. has secured 500 bags of rice as part of the initial distribution—200 were sold at Aringay, and the remaining 300 bags will be distributed in phases: 100 bags in Balaoan on Feb. 25, 100 in Bacnotan on Feb. 27, and 100 in the City of San Fernando on March 2.
Priority beneficiaries include senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) recipients. Also eligible are farmers listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, registered fisherfolk, transport workers, teachers, and minimum wage earners.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier said each kilo of P20 rice bought by consumers “represents not only savings but a hand extended to help lift millions of rice farmers out of poverty.”
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s affordable rice program is expected to reach as many as 60 million Filipinos from 2026 until the end of his term in 2028.
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