The Marcos administration’s Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program will distribute 10 kilos of free rice per tranche to low-income families across all provinces, cities, and municipalities starting this May, with the supply sourced directly from Filipino farmers under the government’s Sagip Saka initiative.
Executive Undersecretary Georgina Hernandez-Yang told DZRH News program Special on Saturday on May 16 that families will receive four distributions of 10 kilos each from May to December 2026, totaling 40 kilos of rice per household.
“Hindi lang isahan, dahil alam naman natin na ang mga tao kailangan ay hindi lang one-time, big-time kundi hindi natin iiwanan. Tuloy-tuloy ‘yung programa natin hanggang Disyembre,” Yang said.
Local government units will identify the beneficiaries, with priority given to minimum wage earners and low-income workers who, despite having jobs, still struggle to meet daily expenses. “Kahit may trabaho, kung minsan ay kinakailangan ng kaunting dagdag na tulong at ito po ‘yun,” Yang said.
Yang said the program is implemented in partnership with all LGUs nationwide under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), with Executive Secretary Ralph Recto also convening national government agencies to ensure continuous delivery of programs.
The undersecretary said the rice assistance is particularly timely given the impact of rising crude oil prices on household budgets across the country.
Yang said the program also directly benefits rice farmers because LGUs are required to source their supply through Sagip Saka, bypassing traders and middlemen.
“Karamihan po ng ating mga local government unit ay bumibili po ng bigas directly mula na sa mga magsasaka sa Nueva Ecija, sa Isabela, kahit sa Bulacan, sa Mindoro. Tumataas ang kanilang kita dahil direkta na pong bumibili ‘yung mga lokal na pamahalaan sa kanila sa pamamagitan po ng Sagip Saka,” she said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has personally visited several distribution sites across the country, including in Pampanga, Tuguegarao, General Santos, Tacloban, and General Trias, Cavite.
