Pilot run of P20 rice program held in Cebu, other areas possibly after May polls - DA

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel spearheaded the launch of the agency's P20-per-kilo rice program in Cebu City on Thursday, May 1, describing it as the fulfillment of President Marcos' campaign promise in 2022.

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"Today, Labor Day, 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," said Laurel.

"That promise is now a reality," he added.

To mark the rollout of the Visayas pilot run at the Cebu Capitol grounds, Laurel personally manned the Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) booth, distributing the first few kilos of rice sourced from the buffer stocks of the National Food Authority (NFA).

Laurel had earlier said that KNP stores were granted exemption by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proceed with the selling of the P20 rice.

However, the provincial government of Cebu is prohibited from directly selling the rice as it has yet to secure approval from the poll body.