Third time’s not a charm as Cebu City Council defers cheap rice program rollout anew

Local

THE long-promised P20-per-kilo rice has once again slipped out of reach for Cebu City residents. This was after the City Council stalled its rollout for the third time this August.

Despite holding a special session on August 28, the council opted to defer the resolution that would authorize Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Food Terminal Inc. (FTI).

The delay came after Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña flagged what he described as major lapses in transparency and fiscal safeguards.

“I’m not against people buying P20 rice, but how are we going to do this? Are we just going to open in any

amount? And who else is going to buy?” Osmeña asked.

He questioned the absence of clear spending limits and beneficiary guidelines in the contract.

The resolution, authored by Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr., is tied to a P20-million budget that will be charged against the Accelerated Social Amelioration Program (ASAP). But Osmeña compared the proposal to “giving out a credit card” without a spending cap.

“I don’t think it is a good fiscal process,” he stressed.

Other councilors defended the measure.

Councilor Paul Labra said the key provisions, including the source of funds, were already laid out in the MOA, while Councilor Mikel Rama noted the resolution’s limited scope.

“The resolution being considered for approval is simply an authorization for the mayor to sign the MOA. The budget allocation and the actual purchase of the rice will still have to undergo another approval process,” Rama clarified.

Still, Osmeña insisted the MOA left too much room for discretion.

“Monopoly, discretion, and lack of transparency—that is the formula for corruption,” he said, warning that the absence of reporting systems or limits posed risks for misuse.

Councilor Philip Zafra backed the vice mayor’s position, saying key details must be spelled out in the contract.

“Because the contract is the governing instrument between the city and the entity we are about to engage with, that is a very valid question,” Zafra said, recommending that amendments be made to reflect the concerns raised.

Following a recess, Zafra moved to defer the resolution’s approval to allow revisions to the MOA.

This marks the third time the rollout has been postponed.

Earlier sessions on August 12 and 19 were also bogged down by questions, including Councilor Sisinio Andales’ point that annexes to the MOA were missing, and that provisions on rice quality, delivery timelines, and order requirements were unclear.

Under the proposed agreement, FTI, an agency attached to the Department of Agriculture, will supply well-milled National Food Authority rice purchased at P33 per kilo and sold at P20 per kilo to select beneficiaries, with the P13-per-kilo subsidy shared by the national and local governments.

Beneficiaries include indigent households, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, disaster victims, and indigenous peoples.

The national government rolled out the program in May as a flagship initiative of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Kadiwa ng Pangulo. Cebu Province piloted it in 2023 under then-Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, but the city’s own rollout has now been stalled three times.

“This is not an emergency or calamity,” Osmeña said. “We have the duty to ensure that all details are intact before we give our approval.”(TGP)