Malacañang insisted that there is no political agenda behind the implementation of the P20 per kilo rice program in the Visayas.
“There’s no politics involved here,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in Filipino during a press briefing on Monday.
Addressing concerns about the program’s timing, Castro emphasized that aid should not be delayed just to avoid political criticisms.
"When should we give the horse its feed? Only after the horse has died?" she said, using an analogy to stress the urgency of providing assistance.
"In politics, there is no perfect timing for giving aid, especially to those most in need, particularly those living at the margins of society," she added.
Castro further explained that the government’s priority is to distribute help as soon as it becomes available.
"The timing should not be questioned; the government will provide aid at the earliest possible time, without any political motives," she stressed.
"This is likely being said just to cast a negative light on the President’s efforts to fulfill the P20-per-kilo rice program," Castro added.
Last week, Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced the rollout of the P20 per kilo rice sale, which will be piloted in the Visayas, starting with Cebu province in early May. He said President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. envisions the program’s nationwide expansion in the long run.
Laurel also mentioned that the purchase of P20-per-kilo rice would be limited to 10 kilograms per week per household, or 40 kilograms per month.
Marcos has consistently expressed optimism about achieving his campaign promise of bringing rice prices down to P20 per kilo. He previously said this goal hinges on fixing the agricultural value chain — the entire series of stages involved in the production, processing, and delivery of products to consumers.
Meanwhile, the National Food Authority (NFA) assured the public that only high-quality rice would be distributed under the P20-per-kilo program.
“We are making sure that nothing will come out of the warehouses unless it meets our quality standards,” said NFA Administrator Larry Lacson during a radio interview, in response to viral videos questioning the rice quality.