Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Friday led a visit to the Pasay City Public Market to oversee the continued rollout of the KADIWA ng Pangulo kiosks that sells affordable rice to consumers under the Rice-for-All program.
“The [Rice-for-All] program, which offers well-milled rice at P40 per kilo, is a realization of President Bongbong Marcos’ vision to provide affordable rice options to more Filipinos. This program is separate from the P29 rice initiative, which specifically supports vulnerable sectors, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, and indigents,” said Sec. Tiu Laurel.
“We will continue to expand these KADIWA kiosks to more cities and municipalities in the coming weeks to ensure that rice prices reflect true market conditions, especially following President Marcos’ decision to reduce tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent in July,” said the DA chief. “The DA will be unrelenting in pushing this program to keep rice traders and retailers honest, and ensure consumers aren’t taken advantage of by unscrupulous businessmen,” he added.
Following the successful initial rollout last week in five public markets and select train stations, the DA is expanding the Rice-for-All program to nine additional locations. The new markets and LRT/MRT stations include Maypajo Public Market (Caloocan City), Murphy Market and Cloverleaf Balintawak (Quezon City), La Huerta Market (Parañaque City), Trabajo Market (Sampaloc, Manila), and several key train stations: Cubao (LRT2), Recto (LRT2), North Avenue (MRT3), and Ayala Avenue (MRT3).
Teresita Bonifacio, a retail seller from La Huerta Market, praised the impact of the P40 per kilo rice. “The rice arrives before 7:00 AM, and after delivery, it’s quickly bought because it’s good quality. On some days, we sell out all 50 sacks by 10:00 AM, so we immediately replenish our stock,” Bonifacio shared.
The Rice-for-All program is supported by the KADIWA ng Pangulo initiative, a collaboration between DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service and Food Terminal Inc. ### (photo by Jay Morales, DA-OSEC)
