BAND-AID SOLUTION? Group blasts government’s P20-per-kilo rice program

Local

A PROGRESSIVE youth group criticized the current administration for supposedly using “band-aid” solutions to the country’s agricultural crisis, criticizing the government's P20-per-kilo rice program as politically motivated and detached from the realities of Filipino farmers.

Kabataan Party-list’s second nominee and agriculturist Jose Paolo Echavez described the program as a heavily subsidized and unsustainable initiative that fails to address deep-seated problems in the agricultural sector.

"Pabilin gihapong wala nasulbad ang problema sa importasyon, wala gihapoy tinuod nga solusyon ang gihatag sa atong mga mag-uuma," he said.

Echavez said among the problems besetting the country are the lack of genuine land reform, dependence on rice imports, and the unchecked influence of domestic and foreign cartels.

Echavez argued that the state was “bleeding billions” to sell rice at an artificially low price while structural issues remained unresolved.

He stressed that such stopgap measures do not improve the long-term condition of local producers, who still lack support and access to resources.

Instead of re-empowering the National Food Authority (NFA) to regulate the market, he pointed out, the government had left the agency toothless under the Rice Tariffication Law, legislation he and other progressive blocs want repealed.

"Kung ganahan ta'g kalamboan sa agrikultura, ibasura ning balaod sa rice tariffication," he said.

He also questioned the timing of the program’s launch in Central Visayas, which began on May 1, just two weeks before the 2025 elections.

He cited Cebu’s over three million registered voters as a key reason for what he claimed was an “exemption” granted to the province despite the Commission on Elections’ earlier directive halting the sale of subsidized rice during the campaign period.

Echavez said it was disrespectful to use people’s basic needs for political gain, claiming that the program’s continuation until 2028 was a form of premature positioning.

“The administration keeps patching things up without curing the root problem. If this continues, we might as well build a band-aid factory,” he said.

He maintained that true agricultural development could only be achieved if the government commits to enacting measures like the proposed Rice Industry Development Act, which aims to boost local production for food security and self-sufficiency.

“Artificial, short-sighted, and non-comprehensive—that’s the best way to describe the P20 per kilo rice program,” he added.

In April, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., led the creation of the program in Regions 6, 7, 8, and Negros Island Region, with the support of its governors.

The pilot program launched on May 1, allowed families to purchase up to 10 kilograms of rice per week from their local government units, with the cost shared by the national and local governments.

However, the program is currently halted due to the ongoing election spending ban.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier explained that the initiative was made possible due to declining global rice and fuel prices and the need to decongest DA warehouses.

Laurel said the government intends to make the program permanent until 2028.(MyTVCebu)