Freeport Area of Bataan – A total of 1,610 employees working inside this Freeport received quality rice priced at P20 per kilo under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Rice-for-All Nationwide Program on 15 July 2015.

The distribution was made possible through a partnership between the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region III.

According to AFAB Community Services Manager Donia G. Alonzo, the 1,610 recipients are part of the first batch of qualified minimum wage earners from Surex Safe Venture Inc. and Perpetual Prime Mfg. Inc., both operating within the Freeport.

DOLE Regional Director Geraldine M. Panlilio and Alonzo led the screening process for the beneficiaries, emphasizing that the program is designed to cushion the impact of rising food prices by distributing rice subsidies from the National Food Authority (NFA).

The “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” program offers rice at just P20 per kilo and is now available nationwide through newly established KADIWA centers.

Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive, the initiative aims to stabilize rice prices and improve access to affordable basic goods, particularly for low-income workers.

Providing updates on the program’s rollout, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro shared that several KADIWA centers in Metro Manila have already started offering subsidized rice.

“Alinsunod sa direktiba ng Pangulong Marcos Jr. na palawigin pa ang programang ‘Benteng Bigas Meron Na,’ kahapon ay nagsimula nang magbenta sa ilang KADIWA centers sa National Capital Region,” Castro said.