MANILA, Philippines — Executive Secretary Ralph Recto gave assurances that the government will continue to distribute free rice to poor families in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that no Filipino family should go hungry.
Recto issued the statement when he visited Cebu over the weekend to distribute rice to about 120,000 families as part of the government's Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program (BPRP).
The BPRP aims to provide nearly eight million poor families nationwide with free 10 kilos of rice every two months.
Over P57.87 billion under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) was allotted this year for the BPRC.
"Hindi ito one-time, big-time. Kada dalawang buwan ang bigayan. Simple lang ang bilin ng Pangulo: walang pamilyang Pilipino ang dapat magutom (This is not one-time, big-time [activity]. Distribution [of rice] would be every two months. The President's directive is simple: no Filipino family should go hungry)," Recto said.
The Palace official also said that it is not only the families in need that would benefit from the program since the rice would be bought from local farmers.
“The benefit is twofold: there is rice on the table, and the farmer earns income. The government helps both the family and the farmer,” he said.
The LGSF also allots funds for roads and farm-to-market roads, water systems, health facilities, and multipurpose buildings that could also serve as evacuation centers during disasters.
“What the President wants is for the government to be felt in every town and barangay (village). When the people are in need, the LGU must have the capacity to act and help immediately,” Recto added.
