By JEN BAYLON
The Negros Occidental provincial government is advancing its efforts to implement the P20 per kilo rice program, now that the national government is readying its rollout after the May 12 midterm elections.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said P7 million will be released by the provincial government to purchase approximately 5,800 sacks of rice, pending clearance from the National Food Authority (NFA).
“We also plan to procure rice through the irrigators’ association. However, the P7 million is specifically for the NFA rice,” he said.
“For the irrigators’ association, we have an ongoing separate program,” he added.
Diaz said they are continuing their “groundwork with the irrigators’ association” to implement what they have been doing for a long time — selling rice at P25 per kilo.
“Now, we are testing the P20 price point and also planning to increase the quantity of rice available,” he pointed out.
Diaz said the provincial government will continue to implement the program despite delays in the rollout.
“I don’t know if the delay is solely due to compliance with the election ban or if there are other details still being finalized,” he said.
Earlier, the Commission on Elections imposed a ban on the distribution of all forms of financial assistance, including the sale of rice at P20 a kilo by local government units (LGUs) ahead of the midterm elections.
Meanwhile, Diaz believed there are other details they need to iron out before the full implementation of the P20 per kilo rice program.
“I met with Regional Director Albert Barrogo last week to discuss this, and he advised us to stay put for now because the program is still on hold,” he said.
Earlier, the local NFA office was awaiting official guidelines from its central office for the release of rice stocks to LGUs for the P20 per kilo of rice program under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Food Security Emergency Program.
No instructions have yet been received for the distribution of rice to LGUs, despite growing anticipation from local officials and residents, the NFA said.
This development comes amid a nationwide push to stabilize rice prices and ensure food security following the DA’s declaration of a food security emergency earlier this year.
The emergency declaration authorized the NFA to release buffer stocks to government agencies and LGUs, with the aim of making rice available to the public at lower prices — reportedly as low as P20 per kilo in some programs.
The P20 per kilo rice program targets indigent sectors such as persons with disabilities, beneficiaries of the social welfare program, senior citizens, and similar groups.
The program is currently being piloted in the Visayas cluster, with a target implementation period until 2028, though this is still subject to evaluation and possible adjustments based on results.
The P20 per kilo of rice program is designed to last until at least the end of 2025, with potential extension to 2028 based on evaluation results and adjustments./JB, WDJ