Manila: Minimum wage earners can continue to purchase National Food Authority's (NFA) PHP20 per kilogram 'high quality' rice without incurring any additional costs as part of the 'Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na' program, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directives.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed this assurance on Wednesday, as Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) and companies identified by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) are set to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the BBM Na initiative. DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa stated during a press conference that logistics costs will be covered by FTI's partner companies under the proposed agreement.
"The sale will still be PHP20, the company has no markup. The requirement is for the minimum wage earners to buy the rice at PHP20. That will be the scheme," de Mesa explained. Unlike vulnerable sector members who access BBM Na through the DA's Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) sites, minimum wage earners will directly obtain their 10-kg monthly rice allocation from their respective companies.
The draft MOA outlines that FTI will secure contracts with identified companies, which will specify the required rice volume. De Mesa mentioned that the distribution would depend on the proximity of companies to NFA warehouses. "The FTI will advise the NFA nearest to that company that [this volume] shall be ordered, say Company A. So, Company A will now go to the nearest NFA warehouse to withdraw the rice allocation for sale," de Mesa added.
Companies will subsequently pay FTI for their rice sales under the BBM Na program. The DA previously announced the allocation of 1.2 million kg of PHP20 rice monthly to benefit 120,000 minimum wage earners across the country. De Mesa assured the sustainability of the BBM Na program, even with its commitments to other government agencies.
In addition to partnering with DOLE, the DA has also approved the supply of approximately 490,000 sacks of rice for the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) disaster response efforts. Currently, the NFA maintains around 8 million bags of rice stock inventory nationwide.
