Manila: About PHP18 billion will be allocated for the nationwide rollout of the PHP20 per kg. of rice under the 'Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na' starting next year to benefit more Filipinos, including farmers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday. This initiative follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s commitment to extending the BBM Na program to more Filipinos without impacting local palay producers, as highlighted in his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA).
According to Philippines News Agency, the President had previously announced a budgetary support of PHP113 billion for the Department of Agriculture's programs, which includes the expansion of the PHP20 per kg. rice initiative. During an ambush interview at a post-SONA forum in San Juan City, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. mentioned that the DA plans to target around 60 million individuals from vulnerable to middle-income families in the upcoming year. Laurel specified that PHP18 billion would be allocated for the next year, targeting 15 million households.
The funding includes PHP8 billion secured through the National Food Authority's (NFA) existing rice stocks, while the remaining PHP10 billion will be allocated for next year's palay procurement. Additionally, Filipino farmers will be included as beneficiaries of the BBM Na program starting next month. Laurel noted that Food and Terminal, Inc. (FTI) booths would be set up at NFA warehouses to make the BBM Na accessible to local farmers.
A working group is yet to finalize the list of additional beneficiaries to ensure the program's sustainability. The target beneficiaries include middle-income families and below, covering almost half of the population with an initial 10-kg. benefit for each beneficiary outside the vulnerable sector. By October, a mobile application will be available for eligible citizens to register based on specific criteria, using a QR code to receive their allocation.
The additional beneficiaries can access the PHP20 per kg rice at various venues, including Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) Centers, pop-up stores, accredited outlets in local markets, and schools. The DA is collaborating with other government agencies such as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and departments responsible for interior and local government, education, social welfare, and labor.
Before the end of his term, the Marcos administration aims to double the number of KNP sites offering the PHP20 per kg. rice from 757 to 1,500. Since its official launch in May, the BBM Na program has benefited almost a million Filipinos, including 217,000 household beneficiaries such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, and minimum wage earners.
