D.A. launches ‘Benteng Bigas’ program for jeepney, tricycle drivers

By Brian Campued

In line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to make affordable rice accessible to more Filipinos nationwide, the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday officially rolled out the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na” Program for the transport sector.

For the pilot launch, at least 57,000 tricycle and jeepney drivers are expected to benefit from the program.

At the Bureau of Animal Industry (BA) office in Quezon City, Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the selling of the P20-per-kilo rice to tricycle drivers belonging to different Tricycle Operators and Drivers’ Associations (TODAs).

“Our transport workers are organized, they are many, and they are among the most financially challenged—yet they form one of the backbones of our economy,” Laurel said.

Aside from Quezon City, the program was also launched in Navotas City, Angeles City in Pampanga, and Cebu City, as well as Tagum City and Panabo City in Davao del Norte.

The DA is implementing the program in close coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which helped identify beneficiaries from the transport sector.

Under the program, eligible drivers and operators only need to present their driver’s license and they are allowed to purchase up to 10 kilos of rice per month.

According to Laurel, the BBM Na for the transport sector is targeted for full implementation in October, covering taxi and bus drivers.

Originally aimed at senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, indigent households, and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the program has since then expanded to reach minimum wage earners, beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom Program of DSWD, rice farmers, and fisherfolk.

During the President’s 68th birthday on Sept. 13, the DA opened its 100 KADIWA ng Pangulo sites nationwide to offer P20 per kilo rice and other affordable agricultural commodities not just for the vulnerable sector but also for all Filipinos as part of the “Handog ng Pangulo” caravan.

Next stop for the P20 Rice Program continued expansion are public school teachers and non-teaching staff of the Department of Education (DepEd).

“Every week, we will expand to new areas and groups so that by 2026, we’re fully ready,” the DA chief said, citing the administration’s goal of reaching 15 million Filipino households or about 60 million people, by the end of next year. (with report from Vel Custodio / PTV News)

-jpv