By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Building upon the momentum of the Marcos Jr. administration’s flagship food program, the Department of Agriculture (DA) remains firm in its commitment to bring affordable staple grain to the citizenry.
This, as Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. personally led the launch of “Benteng Bigas, Meron (BBM) Na!” in a ceremony held at the Lubao Municipal Hall on Tuesday, along with Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda, Lubao Mayor Esmeralda Pineda, and former President and now Pampanga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Secretary Tiu-Laurel said in a statement, “Unti-unti nating naisakatuparan ang adhikain ng Pangulo na ang benteng bigas ay meron na para sa ating mga kababayan.”
The government’s P20/kg rice program ensures food security for qualified beneficiaries from less privileged sectors such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, 4Ps beneficiaries, farmers, fisherfolk, transport workers, and minimum wage earners—consistent with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s mandate of ensuring that every Filipino has access to attainable yet quality food products.
After the rollout of the affordable rice initiative, the Agriculture chief and other officials went on to inspect the Pampanga Food Security Complex that is being built in Barangay Sta. Catalina.
Once completed, the facility would serve as a hub for the postharvest processing of palay (unhusked grain), housing state-of-the-art equipment such as mechanical dryers and rice milling systems.
Altogether, this would help in improving the efficiency of rice production in the province, minimize postharvest losses, and enhance rice quality, thereby benefiting both farmers and consumers alike.
Since its launch, ‘Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!’ has established 508 P20 rice sites nationwide, served more than 2.6 million households, and expanded to all 82 provinces, including selected major cities.
In Pampanga alone, the DA estimates around 350,000 qualified beneficiaries, underscoring the province’s strategic role in scaling up the program. (with report from Gab Villegas | PTV News)
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