Southern Leyte to sell rice at P20/kilo as province backs PBBM’s food program

Town of Basey too

TACLOBAN CITY – Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado announced that the province is set to sell rice at P20 per kilogram, in full support of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s program to make rice more affordable for Filipino families.
Mercado, in a radio interview over Radyo Pilipinas-Sogod on Sunday, May 18, said that the provincial government is initially procuring 30,000 sacks of rice. Purchase orders for the rice acquisition were readied the following day, Monday, as part of the province’s efforts to roll out the program soon.

“We are showing our commitment to the President’s vision of affordable rice by helping shoulder the cost,” Mercado said.

To lower the price from the current average of P33 to just P20 per kilo, the provincial government will subsidize P6.50 per kilo, with an additional P6.50 to be shouldered by Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), bringing the total subsidy to P13 per kilo.

Although the governor did not specify the total budget allocation for the program, he assured that the P20 per kilo rice would be available in public markets across the province “in the days to come.”

Mercado also stressed that the local government is working to ensure the equitable and efficient distribution of rice once the supply arrives.

A similar initiative has been ongoing in Basey, Samar since May 8, where limited quantities of rice are being sold at P20 per kilo to Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.

According to Municipal Agriculture Officer Jesus Jabines, the rice comes from local farmers who received fertilizers and seeds from the Department of Agriculture (DA). No local government funds were used for the program.

“The price reduction is made possible because farmers agree to sell a portion of their harvest in exchange for the inputs they received,” Jabines said.

Basey is home to over 9,000 rice farmers cultivating more than 4,700 hectares of rice fields, with an average yield of 4.5 metric tons per hectare.

“We want to prove that it is possible to sell rice at P20 per kilo if everyone works together,” Jabines added.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)