True cost of P20 rice program points to daunting fiscal challenge

THE QUEUE was longer than usual when Elisa J. Valencia arrived at the Kadiwa store in Diliman, Quezon City one Wednesday morning in December.

- By Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel

Some had been waiting since 8 a.m. to buy rice at P20 per kilo, but deliveries were delayed, stretching the line well into the day.The 62-year-old, who said she had traveled from Novaliches, taking five rides to get to the store, chose to stay. A qualified recipient of subsidized rice, she said the savings she stood to realize made the long wait worth it.

"It's better to endure the wait than go home and spend on transportation again," Ms. Valencia told BusinessWorld. "If the rice is coming anyway, we might as well wait. At least we save on rice."

Ms. Valencia is one of the almost two million beneficiaries served by the government's "Benteng Bigas Meron Na!" program, which is designed to aid vulnerable members of society like senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, and minimum wage earners.

The program allows beneficiaries to purchase up to 30 kilos of rice per month at P20 per kilo at Kadiwa outlets and other designated selling points.

While the 30-kilo allocation is not enough for her household of eight, Ms. Valencia said it still helps ease the burden as food prices continue to rise.

"The 30 kilos we're allowed to buy usually lasts us about three weeks. We still have to buy the rest from the market. But the savings are significant; we use what we save for other household needs and other food items," she said.

In 2022, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. campaigned on a promise to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo, which resonated with voters dealing with persistent food inflation.

"Today, we fulfill a promise made three years ago by President Marcos to the Filipino people: to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo.

That promise is now a reality," Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said during the program's launch in Cebu in May 2024.