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Politics

PANGILINAN OPPOSES RICE IMPORTS FROM US

Senator Kiko Pangilinan raised concerns over the proposed importation of American rice, stressing that the government should instead prioritize lowering domestic rice production costs to make the staple more affordable for consumers while protecting the livelihood of Filipino farmers. The chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform said that the potentially […]

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Politics

PANGILINAN TO PROBE P700M VIETNAM RICE SMUGGLE TRY

Senator Kiko Pangilinan is set to conduct a committee hearing into the attempted smuggling of around P700 million worth of rice from Vietnam, saying the incident raises serious concerns over the continued lack of convictions of big-time smugglers and how this apparent impunity allows large-scale smuggling operations to persist. As chair of the Senate Committee […]

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Politics

PANGILINAN TO NFA: BUY RICE FROM PROVINCES

Senator Kiko Pangilinan urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA) to show its readiness to buy rice directly from rice-producing provinces, saying government support should extend beyond irrigation and production to ensure farmers have a reliable market for their harvest. Pangilinan, who heads the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and […]

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Politics

CAMSUR SOLONS TO SENATORS: PASS CYBERSECURITY BILL

Camarines Sur Representatives Migz Villafuerte and Luigi Villafuerte are appealing to the Senate to act swiftly on the Senate counterpart measure to the House-approved cybersecurity bill, which seeks to establish a separate agency tasked with protecting Filipinos and businesses from online fraud and increasingly advanced threats in cyberspace. The Villafuertes called on senators to advance […]

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Government

DA CONTINUES P20 RICE PROGRAM, TARGETS 60M PINOYS

The government has funding in place to sustain President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s P20-per-kilo rice program through the end of his term, with most of the additional funds released by the President still unused, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. Known as Benteng Bigas Meron Na!, the program is providing relief to vulnerable consumers and […]

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Government

DA PUSHES ‘BE RICEPONSIBLE’ CAMPAIGN

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is taking its fight against rice wastage to Filipino dining tables, urging consumers to waste less, support local farmers, and choose healthier rice as it pushes the Be RICEponsible campaign year-round. Led by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the campaign promotes three simple habits, avoid rice wastage, buy farmers’ […]

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Government

DA FAST-TRACKS NATIONWIDE ‘BENTENG BIGAS’ ROLLOUT

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is accelerating the nationwide rollout of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flagship food program, “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”, as the government moves to temper the impact on vulnerable households of rising costs driven by the ongoing energy emergency. Marcos has directed the DA to scale up the initiative—which offers rice at […]

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Politics

MAYOR ISKO THANKS LEVISTE FOR RICE DONATION

Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso expressed his gratitude to Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Legarda Leviste and the people of Batangas after the City of Manila received a donation of 4,000 sacks of rice — each weighing 25 kilograms. Leviste said the donation was his personal contribution, made at no cost to the […]

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Politics

AUMENTADO: P36/KG BOL-ANON RICE NOW AT KADIWA

The sale of ₱36 per kilo “Bol-anon rice” continues in Bohol. Governor Erico Aris Aumentado stressed this, ensuring affordable staple food for residents while supporting local farmers. The rice is being sold under the KADIWA sa Plaza program at Plaza Rizal. “The program continues to gain strong public support, with sales reaching over ₱150,000 in […]

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Government

DA CHIEF TO FARMERS: PLANT ONLY 1-2 RICE VARIETIES

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. urged rice farmers in areas served by rice processing systems (RPS) to focus on planting only one to two rice varieties, a move aimed at maximizing operational efficiency. The call comes in response to feedback from local farmers’ cooperatives operating RPS facilities, which emphasized the need to streamline production […]