SAN ILDEFONSO, Bulacan (PIA) — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s flagship ‘Benteng Bigas Meron Na!’ program is making a significant impact in rural communities, particularly in the upland barangays of San Ildefonso, Bulacan.
Maricel Siapco, a solo parent from Barangay Pala-Pala in this town, shared how the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) initiative has eased her daily struggle to feed her children.
Through the Bulacan Farmers Agriculture Cooperative, Siapco now buys rice at only P20 per kilo from the usual P35 to P40 per kilo.
“This initiative greatly helps me to secure enough food for my children. With the introduction of this cheap but good quality rice, I am now able to save money and buy fruits and nutritious food to keep them healthy, especially as the new school year approaches,” she shared.
Siapco, 34 years old, is both a helper in a rural cooperative and a laundry woman. For her, the ‘Benteng Bigas Meron Na!’ program is more than just affordable rice, but a lifeline and a blessing for every poor solo parent who is trying to thrive and survive for their children and their future.
Bulacan Farmers Agriculture Cooperative Chairman Daisy Duran explained that the DA and the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), are tapping their cooperative to sell P20 per kilo of Rice under the ‘Benteng Bigas Meron Na!’ program.
This cooperative has started to establish ‘Kaisa sa Diwa’ or KADIWA Store in 2022 to sell affordable fresh vegetables and other food commodities. Aside from P20.00 per kilo of rice, it also sells P29.00 per kilo of rice produced by irrigators’ association through the help of the National Irrigation Administration.
DA Regional Field Office market specialist Jennelyn Ibale reassured the public that there will be a stable supply of rice worth P20.00 per kilo as the National Food Authority (NFA) is currently expanding its palay procurement directly from the local farmers, ensuring that affordable rice reaches consumers while boosting income for farmers in the countryside. (MJSC/SFV, PIA Region 3-Bulacan)
