Marcos on P20-rice: Watch me sustain it-Malaysian President
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. defended the sustainability of his administration’s P20-per-kilo rice initiative, asserting in a media interview in Kuala Lumpur that the program is not just for show. He said the government found a way to make it work through partnerships, international deals, and subsidies, emphasizing it was now achievable despite past systemic constraints. The Kadiwa Centers currently offer P20 rice in several regions, aiming to ensure food affordability without hurting farmers’ incomes. Marcos invited critics to revisit the program’s progress by 2028.
“Watch me sustain it. And then, we’ll talk in May of 2028, natuloy ba o hindi (did it happen or not). We found a way. We found a way to do it. We found a way to do it,” Marcos said in an interview with the media in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The President made the bold statement amid criticisms that the initiative—offering cheaper rice to the vulnerable sector through Kadiwa Centers in partnership with local government units (LGUs)—was just a “cosmetic” of his administration, and that it was “unsustainable.”
Marcos said people are fair to make those opinions but he maintained his resolve in sustaining the promise he made at the beginning of his presidency.
“Yung mga nagsasabi, ‘Hindi, ano lang ‘yan, medyo ano pang – pangpapogi lang ‘yan. Pang ano — pang cosmetic lang ‘yan’ (Those who are saying that it is just a public gimmick, a cosmetic). Well, they’re fair to make that – to have that opinion,” he said.
He stressed that it could not be done in the past due to the system, but now it was made possible because the government is paying for it.
“We could not do it before. Hindi kaya kasi hindi pa kaya ng sistema. Iba pa yung presyo ng bigas noon (The system cannot handle it before. The price of rice was also different in the past),” Marcos said.
The President underscored that by making deals with different countries helped in stabilizing the price of rice.
“Kahit anong mangyari down the road, nagawa na ngayon natin. Wala tayong ganoon noon, e. Ngayon mayroon na. Kaya’t kaya na nating gawin yung 20 pesos (Whatever happens down the road, we were already able to do it now. We were not able to do so before. Now, it’s here. It means we can bring it down to P20),” Marcos pointed out.
“And other things that the DA (Department of Agriculture) is able to sell rice. The price has come down,” he said.
Marcos said the government is ensuring that the farmers will not be sacrificed in the initiative, saying they must earn more from the program.
“And the difference there, that’s what the government is paying for,” he said.
The “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” is a government program aimed at ensuring food security, accessibility, and affordability.
Kadiwa stores in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Mindoro, and Rizal are now selling P20 per kilo of rice.
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Source : Manila Bulletin
