THE Provincial Government of Davao del Sur launched the first wave of rice distribution on June 9, 2026, under the “Biyayang Bigas” Program, a food assistance initiative funded through the ₱77-million Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) Food Assistance Program of the national government.
The program was kicked off in the municipality of Matanao, where 2,900 beneficiaries from 33 barangays each received a 10-kilogram sack of rice.
The 33 barangays that received the rice assistance are Asbang with 62 beneficiaries, Asinan with 58 beneficiaries, Bagumbayan with 27, Bangkal with 54, Buas with 69, Buri with 127, Camanchiles with 63, Ceboza with 70, Colonsabak with 76, Dongan-Pekong with 121, Cabasagan with 77, Kapoc with 94, Kauswagan with 83, Kibao with 70, La Suerte with 64, Langa-an with 53, Lower Marber with 80, Cabligan with 65, Manga with 112, New Katipunan with 90, New Murcia with 90, New Visayas with 132, Poblacion with 193, Savoy with 172, San Jose with 100, San Miguel with 54, San Vicente with 60, Saub with 24, Sinaragan with 172, Sinawilan with 154, Tamlangon with 67, Towak with 108, and Tibongbong with 59 beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries include senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), solo parents, Indigenous Peoples (IPs), farmers, fisherfolk, transport workers such as pedicab drivers, and other families identified as needing assistance.
While the funding came from the national government, the provincial government handled the implementation: from the bidding process and procurement of rice to the distribution of the assistance.
The initiative also followed the government's Sagip Saka Program, which gives priority to farmers' cooperatives as suppliers, ensuring that local rice producers also benefit from the project.
According to Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) Head Geraldine Lano, the provincial government worked closely with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) and City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) in identifying qualified beneficiaries based on guidelines set by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
To make the distribution more accessible, beneficiaries were grouped into six clusters across Matanao.
“Daghan ta'g cluster nga gi-organize sa tibuok sa Matanao. Unom ni siya ka cluster kung sa diin ang mga beneficiaries dili na kinahanglan muadto sa lungsod o sa poblacion para didto mu-claim sa ilang bugas. Atong gi-cluster aron katong mga duol-duol didto nalang sila mudool,” Lano said during an interview in Matanao on June 9.
(We organized six clusters throughout Matanao so beneficiaries would no longer need to travel to the town center or poblacion to claim their rice. We clustered nearby communities together to make distribution more convenient.)
Lano said the distribution on June 9 marks only the first wave of assistance. Each beneficiary will receive a total of 40 kilograms of rice throughout the year, distributed in four waves of 10 kilograms each.
“So karong adlawa, first wave sa atong distribution. Matag beneficiary makadawat og 10 kilos ug hangtod sa mahuman ang tuig naa silay 40 kilos nga madawat (Today marks the first wave of our distribution. Each beneficiary will receive 10 kilograms of rice, and by the end of the year, they will have received a total of 40 kilograms),” she said.
She clarified that the same beneficiaries identified during the first distribution will continue to receive assistance in the succeeding waves.
“Wala ni siyay puli-puli. Kung kinsa ang makadawat karong first wave, hangtod na sa ikaupat nga wave, sila gihapon ang makadawat (There will be no rotation of beneficiaries. Those who receive assistance in the first wave will continue to be the same recipients through the fourth wave),” Lano added.
The PSWDO chief emphasized that the program's beneficiary selection followed national government guidelines and was not determined solely by local officials.
“Kini siya gikan sa Sagip Saka para tabang sa atong mag-uuma. Ang pag-identify nato sa mga beneficiaries naa siyay categories nga gihatag sa DILG. Dili ingon nga kita nagbuot-buot ani. Ang guidelines dili gikan sa provincial government, kundili gikan sa national government pinaagi sa DILG, mao to atong gi-follow,” she explained.
(This program is under the Sagip Saka initiative to help our farmers. The identification of beneficiaries follows the categories provided by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). It is not something that we arbitrarily decided on. The guidelines did not come from the provincial government but from the national government through the DILG, and those are the guidelines that we followed.)
For beneficiary Rosamarie Sal, a member of the Indigenous Peoples community, understanding the process behind the selection is important.
She appealed to fellow residents not to blame local government officials if they were not included in the list of recipients.
“Dili ta magmahay, dili nato kahiubsan atoang mga kauban nga mga tawo nga nakadawat kay wala ni nagagikan ang guidelines sa Matanao, kundili gikan ni sa national (We should not harbor resentment or blame those who received assistance because the guidelines did not come from Matanao but from the national government),” Sal said.
As rice prices and other household expenses continue to challenge many families, programs such as Biyayang Bigas provide temporary relief while also supporting local rice farmers through the Sagip Saka mechanism. CEA
