THE P20-per-kilo rice is now available for minimum wage earners, amid the administration’s bid to ease the financial burden on vulnerable Filipinos.
The Department of Agriculture (DA), together with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), launched Friday, June 13, 2025, the nationwide rollout of an initiative granting minimum wage earners access to rice priced at P20 per kilo.
“This isn’t just about rice—it is about dignity. It is about proving that the government can deliver for the Filipinos who need it most,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
“We are fulfilling President Marcos’ promise of affordable food—subsidized for now, but ideally self-sustaining in the future through agricultural modernization,” he added.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the program’s expansion significantly advances the administration’s goal of supporting the country’s most vulnerable sectors.
He said this will benefit nearly 120,000 minimum wage earners across the country.
Known as “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” the program was first launched in the Visayas on May 1 and was later made available in other Kadiwa ng Pangulo centers in various parts of Luzon.
The rice sold under the program is sourced from reserves purchased by the National Food Authority from local farmers.
It initially covers solo parents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and indigents.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier assured the public that there will be sufficient supply of rice to sustain the P20-per-kilo rice program, benefiting as many as 60 million Filipinos. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)