A lawmaker on Sunday stressed that monetary assistance is still the best option for providing aid rather than rice bags amid the national government’s commitment to ensure that necessary rice assistance is in place.

Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan of 4Ps Partylist stressed that it will be more practical for beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to receive cash subsidies, as they could also use the money to meet other crucial necessities, including food, medicines, or their children’s needs.

This comes after the Department of Agriculture (DA) recently proposed to convert the cash grant into National Food Authority rice bags or bundles as the agency said that it will “ease the price pressures of the market in terms of buying high-price rice.”

The proposal dates back to 2019, when the DA first proposed converting the DSWD’s P600 monthly rice subsidy into actual rice to help farmers amid lower rice prices.

Libanan said that sticking to monetary aid could prevent delayed assistance considering that 4Ps households have their respective LandBank ATM.