THE government’s expanded P20-per-kilogram rice program, also known as Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! (BBM Na!), is now available in Baguio City, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Sunday.
The launch, which coincided with the city’s Panagbenga Festival, had a special rollout at the Baguio City Hall. Some 500 households availed of the program, which caters to various priority sectors, including senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, indigent families, minimum-wage earners, farmers and fisherfolk, members of transport groups, and teachers.
Members of vulnerable sectors are allowed to buy up to 30 kilos of rice per month, while other eligible beneficiaries may avail of 10 kilos also monthly.
Serving as a distribution outlet is a warehouse of the National Food Authority ( A) in Loakan. It is managed by the Food Terminal Inc., and serves qualified beneficiaries Mondays to Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
As of Feb. 27, it has served over 18,000 households, the DA said.
There are plans to tap the Kadiwa ng Pangulo Store at the slaughterhouse compound in Barangay Sto Niño to sell the rice on a regular schedule to serve more households in the city and decongest the main distribution outlet.
The DA-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) Regional Field Office also wants to do another rollout on March 3 to an additional 500 households.
“The initiative is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that our countrymen, especially those in vulnerable sectors, have affordable rice,” DA Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said. “This is not just a short-term program, but part of a broader, long-term plan to strengthen the country’s food security, protect consumers, and support our farmers.”
The Baguio City government fully supports the program, Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan said, adding that they will work closely with the DA to ensure its smooth implementation.
“Through the strong partnership of the national government and our local government units, we are bringing services closer to the people and ensuring that no Filipino family will be left behind,” Guevarra added. Giselle P. Jordan
