P20/kilo rice program resumes

After a brief pause during the 2025 midterm election period, the government’s P20-per-kilo rice program has officially resumed in Cebu, with the arrival of 35,000 sacks of rice yesterday at the Cebu City port.

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The National Food Authority in Central Visayas (NFA-7) confirmed that the rice supply was delivered to augment stocks for the ongoing rollout of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s flagship P20 Rice Program, which aims to provide affordable rice to low-income Filipino families.

NFA-7 information officer Olma Nedia said the program was only paused to comply with election-related policies under the Commission on Elections guidelines.

“Malipayon ta nga ni-resume na ang pagkuha sa atong LGUs sa ilang allocation para pud ma apod-apod na ni nila ang barato nga bugas,” said Nedia.

She assured the public that the rice program will continue, as previously committed by Agriculture Secretary Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. during the program’s launch in Cebu Province last May 1.

As of May 14, a total of 5,000 bags had already been withdrawn by 30 municipalities across Cebu Province.

NFA-7 emphasized that this is part of the earlier agreement made between the Department of Agriculture, Food Terminal Inc., and the LGUs that signed memorandums of agreement.

Cebu Province has prepaid for around 11,000 bags intended for distribution among its LGUs. However, the allocation per LGU has been capped based on a list provided by the provincial government, ensuring equitable access to the rice supply.

“Naa tay igo na supply sa P20 program kay in fact naa ta’y i-expect nga arrival or mga shipments from other regions para mo-augment atong stocks,” Nedia shared.

She added that the distribution will follow a strict scheduling system, in line with the schedules set by Cebu Province.