The Marcos administration’s flagship food program Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! has moved deeper into communities, with the Department of Agriculture (DA) launching its first barangay-level rollout in Barangay Matina Crossing in Davao City, marking a significant push to widen access to affordable rice.
Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing and Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra led the expansion of the food program alongside Barangay Captains Joel Santes and Rollie Pamine, and representatives from Food Terminal Inc. and National Food Authority. The distribution was later extended to Barangay Tungkalan, Toril District as part of the program’s citywide expansion.
Velicaria-Guevarra said that strong local government participation is key to ensuring that subsidized rice reaches intended beneficiaries, including indigents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, minimum wage earners, and solo parents.
She said the P20 Benteng Bigas Masterlist Registry System, an online list of the food program’s beneficiaries, has helped streamline validation and purchasing, improving efficiency and targeting.
“This is the perfect timing to further expand the P20 ‘Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!’ Rice Project of the DA.”
“This is the perfect timing to further expand the P20 ‘Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!’ Rice Project of the DA,” Velicaria-Guevarra said. “Our NFA warehouses are currently filled with rice stocks. By accelerating distribution at the barangay level, we are able to declog NFA warehouse facilities, enabling the agency to continue procuring palay from our local rice farmers. At the same time, the government is able to directly assist consumers, especially those in the vulnerable sectors, by providing affordable rice at P20 per kilo. It is a balanced approach that supports both our farmers and our people.”
Barangay officials pledged continued support, with local leaders prioritizing vulnerable and low-income households.
Barangay Captain Santes welcomed the subsidized rice program, especially given its high poverty incidence in the Davao City. He said priority sectors will be given first access to the P20 rice among the city’s nearly 44,000 residents.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. had earlier described the food program as a concrete fulfillment of the campaign promise of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to bring down the cost of food, especially rice, for Filipino families.
“This is about delivering on the President’s commitment to make rice affordable for many financially-challenged Filipino household,” Tiu Laurel said.
“We are moving aggressively to expand this program so that as many as 60 million Filipinos can benefit from it this year—and we intend to sustain it until the end of the President Marcos’ term in June 2028,” the agriculture chief added.
“We intend to sustain it until the end of the President Marcos’ term in June 2028.”
Several other barangays in Davao City have already signified interest in joining the initiative, reflecting growing momentum behind the administration’s effort to institutionalize affordable rice access at the grassroots level.
