Malacañang has spoken.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said that "lugaw" or rice porridge, or any food for that matter, is an essential good and that its delivery should be unhampered.
Roque made the statement in response to the viral video of a Grab rider who was prohibited from delivering lugaw or rice porridge to a customer in a barangay in Bulacan at around 1:30 a.m. because the said dish was allegedly not essential.
"A video, which has been circulating online, has come to our attention. Lugaw, or any food item for that matter, is considered an essential good," he said.
"Delivery of food items must remain unhampered 24/7. Huwag natin harangin sa checkpoints (Let's not stall them at checkpoints)," he added.
In a 30-minute Facebook Live video, rider Marvin Ignacio was barred from entering Barangay Muzon by a lady personnel from the city of San Jose Del Monte and questioned his delivery.
She insisted that there was an ongoing curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. and that the rice porridge was not an essential item because humans can live without it.
“Essential po ba si lugaw? Hindi… Kasi mabubuhay ang tao nang walang lugaw (Is rice porridge essential? No. Because people can live without it),” she said.
On March 27, Roque said that delivery and courier services transporting food, medicine, or other essential goods will be allowed during the ECQ.
"Tuluy-tuloy po ang food deliveries. Sinabi ko na po iyan (Food deliveries will not stop. I already said that before)," he said.