Pres. Bongbong Marcos Speaks on P20 per Kilo Rice Program
BONGBONG MARCOS – The Philippine President is confident that the government can continue the P20 per kilo rice program.
Prior to the 2025 Midterm Elections, the Department of Agriculture announced that P20 per kilo rice will be available in Visayas. It gained different reactions from the Filipino people as well as Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. To recall, it was a campaign promise of Pres. Marcos.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that the government is allegedly fooling the Filipinos again with the P20 per kilo rice sale. She also raised questions on the quality of the rice to be sold at P20 per kilo as well as its fitness for human consumption.
Malacañang called on Vice Pres. Duterte to stop crab mentality following her remarks on the affordable rice announcement of the agriculture department. The DA also expressed that it is hurt over the remarks of the Vice President saying that they are committed to delivering quality rice to the Filipinos.
In a press conference, the officials of the agriculture department cooked and ate the NFA rice to be sold at P20 per kilo to attest its safety and quality. However, a day after the kick-start of the rice sale, it was halted.
The Department of Agriculture heed the advice of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to delay the implementation of the affordable rice program after the elections. According to the poll body, it is to prevent the program from being linked to the elections.
Previously, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that she knows that the P20 per kilo rice is “doable” but she does not want to help Pres. Bongbong Marcos. Recently, the Chief Executive expressed his confidence that the government can sustain the program.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Marcos Jr. claimed that they have found a way so the affordable rice program can continue. He stressed that the price of rice then was different.
‘We’ll talk in May of 2028, natuloy ba o hindi. We found a way. We found a way to do it. We found a way to do it. We could not do it before. Hindi kaya kasi hindi pa kaya ng sistema. Iba pa ‘yung presyo ng bigas noon,” he expressed.
Based on the report, Pres. Bongbong Marcos explained that it took him time to fulfill his campaign promise of reducing the cost of rice to P20 per kilo because the government has to provide assistance to the local farmers first. They also extended assistance with regards to the machinery for the rice production.
”Watch me sustain it,” the President said.
Previously, Malacañang reacted to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte refusing to help Pres. Bongbong Marcos achieve the P20 per kilo rice for Filipinos.