CHEAP RICE. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa says they are finalizing the mechanics of the Bigas 29 program, during an interview at the DA main office along Elliptical Road in Quezon City on Thursday (June 20, 2024). The program seeks to sell rice at PHP29 per kg. to the vulnerable sectors of society, which include beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, persons with disability, solo parents, and senior citizens. (PNA photo by Stephanie Sevillano)
MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday urged members of the vulnerable sector to follow the 10-kg. purchase limit per household per month for the Bigas 29 Program, or the sale of PHP29 per kg. of aging but good rice from the National Food Authority (NFA).
This came after several buyers in Kadiwa sites reportedly queued up multiple times and exceeded the purchase limit during the DA’s trial sale.
“Dapat hindi. Iyon yung ating (It should not be [allowed]. That is our) initial guideline – 10 kg. per household,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa said in an interview.
“Gusto natin mas maraming makinabang dito sa Bigas 29 Program natin (We want more people to benefit from the Bigas 29 Program). We want to reach as many vulnerable sectors as possible,” De Mesa added, referring to the program’s upcoming rollout in July.
He noted that about 6.9 million households or 34 million individuals from the vulnerable sector – including beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), persons with disability, solo parents, and senior citizens – are targeted to benefit monthly.
Salvacion Atutubo, a senior citizen, however, argued that the limit is low for households with many family members.
“Kulang sa pitong bibig ang kakain. Kulang sa isang buwan, sampung kilo kulang. Sa mahal ng bigas ngayon, syempre dito ka na sa mura (It’s inadequate for seven mouths to feed. Ten kilos are not enough for one month. Rice is so expensive nowadays, of course, you will buy the cheaper rice here),” she said in an interview after buying 15 kg. of rice in separate purchases.
De Mesa, however, clarified that Bigas 29 is just a supplemental option for families amid the high retail prices of rice.
“Hindi naman siya designed na para mapalitan iyong pangangailangan talaga nila sa loob ng isang buwan. Tulong lang ito na mabawasan iyong gastusin nila (It is not designed to replace their actual requirement per month. It is just a form of assistance to reduce their expenses),” he said.
Bigas 29 mechanics
De Mesa assured that challenges in the trial sale are being noted in finalizing the rollout mechanics of the Bigas 29 program, which may be released before the end of June.
Besides presenting identification cards or authorization letters in case of representatives, the DA will also be more stringent in monitoring buyers to prevent excess purchase or unauthorized use of IDs.
“Pagsasabihan muna natin kasi ayaw naman nating magkaroon ng kaguluhan doon sa pila. Mas maganda siguro may video recording kung sila talaga ay pabalik-balik. Ang worry kasi natin, dati kasi mayroong pumipila, bumibili nang paulit-ulit then binibenta nila (We will call them out first because we don’t want to cause any commotion in the queues. It would be better to have video recordings to see if they are really returning repeatedly. Our worry is that, there were instances of individuals coming back in the line, making repeated purchases, then they sell the rice),” De Mesa said.
He said the program’s mechanics would be posted in all Kadiwa Centers for a wider information dissemination campaign.
Overall, the NFA targets to sell 69,000 metric tons of subsidized rice in Kadiwa stores per month. (PNA)
