Marcos on P20/kilo of rice: I'm confident it's sustainable

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Wednesday expressed confidence anew that his administration could sustain the implementation of the P20 per kilo of rice.
In an episode of the BBM Podcast, Marcos was asked how will the government sustain this program. He then emphasized that rice production has slowly been increasing.
''Since our production is already going up, bababa ang cost of production. Since bababa ang cost of production, di ang pagbenta, kung bibili ang NFA, ang pagbenta ng NFA, pababa nang pababa,'' Marcos said.
(Since our production is already going up, the cost of production will decrease. Since the cost of the production will be lowered, then the selling of NFA will also be cheaper.)
''That's why I'm so confident masabi [na] sustainable,'' the President added.
Marcos said the government would continue to provide machinery to farmers and improve the irrigation system.
Marcos also assured the local farmers that even the price of rice would be cheaper, the buying price of palay will not be lowered.
''We have to support them so kahit ano pa ang mangyari sa presyo ng bigas na ipinagbibili sa mga palengke, hindi natin ibababa ang buying price ng NFA. Never bababa 'yan,'' he said.
(We have to support them so whatever happens with the price of rice being sold in markets, we will not lower the buying price of NFA.)
The President earlier explained why it took time for him to fulfill his campaign promise of P20 per kilo of rice, noting that the government needs to provide assistance first to the local farmers, including the provision of machinery.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) initially implemented the sale of rice at P20 per kilo in the Visayas region. According to the DA, Marcos wants it to be implemented across the country in the long run.
The second phase, which will commence in July, will be in the Mindanao region.
The P20 per kilogram rice initiative under the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program only allows members of vulnerable sectors—including indigents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and solo parents to buy NFA rice at P20 per kilogram.
Moreover, the government's P20 per kilogram subsidized rice can also be availed by minimum wage earners.
Marcos said at present, the DA is in partnership with local government units in selling the P20 per kilo of rice. However, he is eyeing that this will be shouldered by the national government next year.
''Eventually, I'm looking at a proposal na next year, wala ng contribution ang LGU. Ang contribution, lahat national government,'' Marcos said.
(Eventually, I'm looking at a proposal that by next year, there will be no more contributions from LGUs. The contribution will all be from the national government.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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