Palace hits back at VP Sara over P20/ kilo rice criticism

Malacañang yesterday fired back at Vice President Sara Duterte for linking the administration's P20-per-kilo rice program to the upcoming midterm elections, urging her to avoid crab mentality and warning against being a “termite” as President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. strives to fulfill his campaign promise.

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The Marcos administration recently announced plans to sell rice at P20 per kilo—a key pledge made by the President during the 2022 elections. According to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the government plans to allocate P3.5 billion to P4.5 billion to subsidize the initiative, which will be rolled out nationwide starting next week.

Vice President Duterte-Marcos' former running mate and now a vocal critic—has slammed the initiative, describing it as a move to bolster the chances of administration-backed senatorial candidates. She has also raised concerns that the program could be a "budol" or scam, warning that the low-priced rice might be unfit for human consumption.

In a regular press briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro rejected the suggestion that the initiative is politically motivated. She emphasized that the administration has long sought to provide Filipinos with access to affordable rice.

"Now that the aspiration of the President is slowly being realized, why are they speaking negatively about it?