CALAMBA CITY, Laguna (PIA) — At least eight local government-run Kadiwa Centers in Calabarzon have joined other local government units (LGUs) nationwide in offering affordable rice at ₱20 per kilo under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program.
Among the LGUs participating in this initiative are Dasmariñas City and Naic in Cavite; and Antipolo City, Rodriguez, and Binangonan in Rizal. These areas are scheduled to sell the affordable rice every Thursday and Friday at designated Kadiwa Centers.
Meanwhile, Kadiwa Centers in Santa Rosa City and Kalayaan in Laguna; and San Mateo, Rizal will offer the subsidized rice every Friday.
The program rollout will begin on May 16, following the delivery of rice stocks from the National Food Authority (NFA).
In Dasmariñas City, the City Agriculture Office will deploy mobile Kadiwa rolling stores to reach more barangays and communities, especially those with limited access to public markets.
According to DA, the expansion of the program to regions like Calabarzon was made possible after a comprehensive review of the agency’s budget and available NFA stockpiles.
“The program not only aims to provide affordable rice to Filipino consumers but also seeks to ease the burden on the National Food Authority’s warehouses, enabling the agency to buy more palay from farmers at higher prices,” the DA said in a statement.
The agency added that under the pilot test, LGUs will share the ₱13-per-kilo subsidy with the DA’s Food Terminal Inc. Beneficiary eligibility will be determined by the LGUs.
According to the DA, vulnerable groups—including solo parents, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and beneficiaries of the government’s 4Ps program—will have access to the ₱20-per-kilo rice at Kadiwa Centers.
The “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” initiative is part of the Marcos administration’s commitment to ensure food affordability and strengthen local food systems under the Bagong Pilipinas governance agenda. (CCM, PIA4A)
