The Department of Agriculture (DA) has broadened the reach of the Marcos administration’s flagship “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program, beginning distribution of P20 rice to jeepney and tricycle drivers as well as other transport workers, a move seen to have wide-ranging implications for both food security and the agricultural economy.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the rollout to the transport sector signals a more aggressive expansion of the program, which was earlier piloted in select urban centers. Public school teachers and non-teaching personnel are set to be the next beneficiaries.
“A lot of Filipinos across the country are waiting for ‘Benteng Bigas.’ This is a step forward,” Tiu Laurel said during the launch in Quezon City.
“Our transport workers are organized, they are many, and they are among the most financially challenged – yet they form one of the backbones of our economy.”
The program simultaneously kicked off in Navotas City, Cebu City, Tagum City, and Angeles City, Pampanga, initially reaching 57,000 beneficiaries. The number will increase steadily based on data from the Department of Transportation, Laurel said.
The DA is targeting to cover 15 million households – or about 60 million Filipinos – by the end of 2026, with the program sustained through June 2028, the end of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s six-year term.
To support the initiative, the National Food Authority (NFA) will tap its existing rice inventory while ensuring farmers continue to receive fair palay prices. By October, the DA aims to sell 1,000 tons of rice daily under the P20 program, scaling up to 2,000 tons in November and 3,000 tons by December. At 10 kilos per household per month and a thrice-weekly selling schedule under KADIWA ng Pangulo, the program could reach 3.6 million households by yearend.
The administration has allocated P10 billion in the proposed 2026 national budget to sustain the program’s expansion, underscoring its role not only as a social safety net but also as a stabilizer in the rice market.