Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma clarified Thursday that the inclusion of minimum wage earners in the government’s P20 per kilogram rice program dubbed “Benteng Bigas Meron Na!” is not intended to substitute the proposed wage increase.

In a statement, Laguesma addressed criticisms that have emerged even as the program is in its initial stages.

“This is not a replacement for the additional [wage hike] he is referring to… we are allowing the process to move forward in our Congress regarding the proposed bill that will add an across-the-board P200,” Laguesma said.

His clarification came in response to concerns raised by Joshua Mata, secretary general of the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), who argued that the rice subsidy is not a sustainable solution and reiterated the urgent need for a P200 wage increase for workers.

Laguesma urged critics to allow the pilot program, scheduled to run from June to December, to proceed as he stressed that the executive branch has a responsibility to provide immediate relief to workers while the proposed wage hike remains under consideration in Congress.

To recall, the House of Representatives approved its version of a bill proposing a P200 wage hike at the committee level in February, before Congress adjourned for midterm elections.

In other developments, Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque and Department of Agriculture chief Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. conducted a joint inspection of rice prices and quality at Alabang Central Market.

The visit, joined by Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon, was part of a DA-DTI joint market monitoring initiative aimed at protecting both consumers and farmers as the harvest season nears.