BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental (June 5, 2025) — Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. and Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez on Thursday launched three KADIWA ng Pangulo centers in the heart of the “City of Smiles”—a compelling testament to the growing public demand for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s landmark P20 rice program.
But more than fulfilling a promise of a food-secure Philippines, President Marcos’ “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”initiative has ignited collaboration across local and national government agencies, along with private sector partners, to ensure the success of a program envisioned to benefit some 60 million Filipinos through 2028.
“President Marcos’ launch of the P20 rice program has not only sparked new hope among indigent and vulnerable Filipinos—it has also awakened the spirit of bayanihan across the country,” said Secretary Tiu Laurel. “From farmers’ cooperatives in Mindoro offering their warehouses to boost NFA’s palay procurement, to local governments sharing in the subsidy, to agencies like DOLE and DSWD partnering with us to scale the program, and legislators pledging to institutionalize it—this is collective action at its best,” he added.
The Bacolod City government will shoulder part of the subsidy for the P20 rice program, aimed at delivering affordable, high-quality rice to vulnerable sectors, including indigent families, solo parents, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and minimum wage earners.
To support the city’s rollout, Bacolod has placed an order with Food Terminal Inc. (FTI)—the Department of Agriculture’s marketing arm sourcing rice from the National Food Authority—for 5,880 sacks of rice. This volume is projected to meet the city’s needs for two weeks, based on an expected daily demand of 400 50-kilo sacks.
“One of the things we are closely monitoring is, of course, inflation, which is causing the prices of commodities to rise for our constituents — and the food sector is the biggest contributor to inflation. So we need to ensure that it is stabilized so it does not cause any burden to our constituents. That’s the reason why we really pushed for the ‘Benteng Bigas Meron Na!’ program,” said Bacolod Mayor Benitez.
FTI President Joseph Lo assured that the agency has sufficient stock to meet Bacolod’s requirements throughout the duration of the P20 rice pilot, which runs through December.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, who heads the DA’s Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs and oversees the KADIWA program, said the launch of the KADIWA stores in Bacolod City brings the total number of outlets offering P20 rice to 87– well beyond the initial target of 55 set by Secretary Tiu Laurel for the end of June.
“And that number will grow exponentially in the coming weeks as we onboard additional sites through the support of the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Soon, the areas where P20 rice will be available will surpass 1,000,” she said.
Also during the event, the Philippine Rice Research Institute awarded the provincial government of Negros Occidental with a certificate of allocation for 96,550 bags of seeds that would cover 44,514 hectares of rice lands in the province for the coming wet season. The seeds are worth P84.96 million and was funded by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. ### (Photo by Jay Morales, DA-OSEC)
