The large-scale trial of  "Program 29," in which the government sells aging buffer rice stocks for P29 per kilo, will start on Friday, 5 July, in 10 selected Metro Manila and nearby areas, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The KADIWA sites identified are located in the offices of the Bureau of Animal Industry and National Irrigation Administration in Quezon City; the Bureau of Plant Industry in Manila; Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig City; PhilFIDA in Las Pinas; Caloocan City; Valenzuela City; and Brgy. Fortune and BF City in Marikina City; and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan.

Beneficiaries of the program include senior citizens, single parents, persons with disabilities, and beneficiaries of the government’s 4Ps program.

Agriculture Secretary Tiu Laurel Jr., meanwhile, emphasized maximizing the program to benefit those in need and preventing abuse by beneficiaries reselling subsidized rice. 

"We appeal to beneficiaries not to take advantage of this program by reselling the P29 rice from KADIWA centers,” he said. “We want to ensure that the largest number of those in the vulnerable sectors will benefit from this program of President Bongbong Marcos.”

“This large-scale trial aims to gather comprehensive data on supply, demand, and logistics essential for the smooth nationwide rollout of the program,” Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, Assistant Secretary for Consumer and Legislative Affairs, said, noting that KADIWA during this period will prepare booklets to monitor rice purchases by beneficiaries.

"So, in these ten Kadiwa sites, we're expecting that in the coming months, we will be able to double the sites where the P29 rice sale will be held,” she added.

DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa further assured the public that the rice stocks to be distributed are safe for human consumption as they will undergo rigorous laboratory testing by the National Food Authority and sensory tests.

At present, there are 265 established KADIWA centers nationwide, along with 119 pop-up stores.

The full implementation of Program 29 requires approximately 69,000 metric tons of rice, which will provide 10 kilos of rice per month at P29 per kilo to the targeted 6.9 million vulnerable households, according to the DA.