DA: Most of minimum wage earners in P20/kg rice program from Bicol
In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, DA spokesman Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the identified program beneficiaries are based on a list provided by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
"Nakipag ugnayan kami sa aming AMAS (Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division) at sabi nila mayroon nang listahang naibigay. 'Yun nga, 120,000, at ang karamihan nasa list na maraming minimum wage earners ay sa Bicol area," De Mesa said.
(We have already coordinated with our AMAS (Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division) and they said a list has already been provided. There were 120,000 in the list, most of whom are minimum wage earners in the Bicol area.)
The DA and DOLE on Tuesday "agreed in principle" to include minimum wage earners in the ongoing pilot run of the subsidized rice program.
As an initiative under the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program, the P20 per kilogram rice campaign allows members of vulnerable sectors to purchase rice from the National Food Authority (NFA) at the subsidized price. Indigents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and solo parents are among the program beneficiaries.
The Food Terminal Inc. and DA regional field offices, De Mesa said, are in charge of distribution.
De Mesa said the DA depends on the list provided by DOLE, being the authority with regard to the labor sector.
However, De Mesa said the Agriculture Department was open to including workers in the informal sector—such as those who have seasonal jobs—in the micro, small, and medium (MSME) sector.
"Puwede po natin isunod 'yung mga ganyan sa pakikipagtulungan sa mga local governments kung 'di sila organized under the system of Department of Labor," De Mesa said.
(These workers can be also be among the next beneficiaries, in coordination with local governments if in case they are not organized under the system of the Department of Labor.)
Priority areas
The next phase for the P20 per kilogram rollout targets areas with high poverty incidence, such as key areas in Mindanao.
"Sa susunod na phases natin sa Phase 2, priority talaga diyan 'yung mga lugar na mataas ang poverty incidence. Kagaya ng Zamboanga del Norte nga, almost 38%, ibig sabihin 4 sa 10 tao mahirap sa lugar na iyon. And then sa Basilan, actually sa may BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) area, masyadong marami mahirap doon. 'Yun 'yung mga susunod na priority," De Mesa said.
(In our next phases under Phase 2, the government is prioritizing areas where poverty incidence is high. Like in Zamboanga del Norte, where the number is almost 38%—meaning 4 of 10 people in that area are poor. And then in Basilan, actually all of BARMM, there are really many poor there. That is the next priority.)
The Agriculture Department is aiming to sustain the program until the end of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos' term in June 2028, potentially covering up to 15 million households—or approximately 60 million Filipinos.
Marcos recently assured that his administration would be able to sustain the program, saying "we'll talk in May of 2028" if the intended results were indeed achieved. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
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