From August 29 to September 5, the country celebrates Rice and Corn Week, which was implemented by Presidential Proclamation No. 304, signed in 1964 by then-President Diosdado Macapagal.

According to the policy, the observance was enacted in order to “arouse national consciousness and interest among our farmers to increase their production.”

The proclamation called rice and corn “staple crops” and their cultivation would “bring about a more abundant life for our people.”

Based on a social media post by the Philippine Information Agency, “Rice usually supplies about 35 percent of an average Filipino’s calorie intake.”/WDJ