P20/kilo rice sparks hope for Eastern Visayas’ poor families
The availability of PHP20 per kilogram rice in Eastern Visayas has brought relief to many poor families, allowing them to allocate more of their budgets to other essential needs. For some residents, this move could make a significant difference in their daily lives.
Myrna Pedrosa, 24, a resident of San Juan village, expressed that the cheaper rice would allow her to buy a small pack of milk every morning instead of coffee for her six-year-old child. “We have been spending PHP50 per day for rice alone. The expensive rice limits our ability to buy other needs of our family,” she told the Philippine News Agency. Her common-law husband only earns PHP300 daily from catching fish near the San Juanico Bridge linking Leyte and Samar.
Another resident, Dolores Limpin, 65, is grateful to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for making the Visayas a pilot area for the PHP20-per-kilo rice program. “We only earn PHP100 to PHP300 from farming, and a big share of our budget is spent on buying rice. If rice is cheap, we could buy meat for a side dish on some days instead of small fish,” she said.
The average monthly income of PHP9,000 for these households is significantly below the ideal poverty threshold for a family in Eastern Visayas, which is PHP13,492 as of 2023. Sta. Rita, a town in Samar, has a poverty incidence of 36 percent as of 2021, and Samar is the poorest province in the region, with a poverty rate of 24.9 percent—well above the government’s target of 10 percent for the distribution of cheaper rice.
Rural and Urban Residents Welcome Cheaper Rice
However, the program not only benefits rural areas. Residents of urban centers like Tacloban City, the regional capital with a poverty incidence of 10.6 percent, are also looking forward to the availability of affordable rice. Mark Frie Magdua, 33, from the Magallanes district, shared his excitement about buying rice at PHP17 per kilo less than the current price. “If rice is cheaper, we will have extra cash to buy other food items and pay for our electricity and water bills,” said Magdua, a pump attendant who earns PHP400 daily.
Laura Donaire, 40, another resident of Tacloban, noted that cheaper rice would allow her to better support her three children. “If the price of rice were PHP20 per kilogram, we would save 50 percent of our budget for rice alone. We will be able to allocate some amount for more nutritious food,” said Donaire, who works in a local lumpia store and earns PHP420 a day.
Government Rolls Out Rice Subsidy Program in Eastern Visayas
Rice is a vital part of the Filipino diet, comprising 40 percent of the average diet and providing essential carbohydrates. The Department of Agriculture announced on April 23 that the PHP20 per kilo rice program will be rolled out in the Visayas. The National Food Authority (NFA) is prepared to release 165,697 bags of rice from 19 warehouses across six provinces for the program.
Under the program, indigent families are eligible to purchase up to 10 kilos of rice per week, or 40 kilos per month, at the discounted rate. Visayas was chosen for the pilot rollout due to its higher-than-average poverty rate, which stands at 20.3 percent, surpassing the national average of 10.9 percent. The launch follows a closed-door meeting on April 23 between President Marcos Jr. and 12 governors from the Visayas regions.
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