Zamboanga city: The National Food Authority (NFA) here, through attached agency Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI), has reduced the monthly sale of government-subsidized rice per beneficiary by 20 kilos as of January 5. In effect, each beneficiary can purchase only 10 kilos monthly, down from the previous 30 kilos. The subsidized rice is priced at PHP20 per kilo.
According to Philippines News Agency, NFA-Zamboanga City manager Joann Bernardo said Tuesday that the reduction ordered by the Department of Agriculture will apply to all beneficiaries, including senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs). Bernardo highlighted in a radio interview that one of the reasons for the reduction was the alleged misuse of the program by some beneficiaries. Some reportedly collected multiple identification cards from senior citizens and PWDs, along with authorization letters, to purchase large quantities of rice and resell it in the market at PHP30 per kilo.
Meanwhile, Bernardo noted that over 10,000 sacks of NFA rice were sold to vulnerable sectors last year at PHP20 per kilo. The program was pilot-launched in Zamboanga City on June 13, 2025.
The government's subsidized rice program, notably the 'Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na' initiative, also offers rice at PHP20 per kilo to minimum wage earners, teachers, and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program households. It is sold through Kadiwa Centers and company distribution, using NFA stocks to ease food costs and fulfill President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s promise of affordable rice.
