Iloilo city: Residents receiving other national government assistance are not eligible for the 'Bigay Bigas sa Masa' rice program, Mayor Raisa Tre±as said Monday. Tre±as clarified the eligibility rules following questions about how beneficiaries were selected. She said the city government established help desks in district offices to explain the guidelines. 'We made sure to follow the guidelines,' she added.

According to Philippines News Agency, the city government is on the final day of distributing rice subsidies to 41,958 beneficiaries identified under the program. Each beneficiary will receive 30 kilograms of rice in three tranches. Meanwhile, Tre±as said the city government is finalizing details for the 'Benteng Bigas Meron Na!' program. Tre±as mentioned that the city had earmarked PHP500,000 last year to help subsidize the initiative, but transportation costs posed a challenge because the rice supply would have come from Manila. 'This time, it will be here in the city. Our P20-per-kilo rice will be sold by the city,' she said.