House Speaker Martin Romualdez (leftmost) weighs rice grains with Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia (2nd from right) and Deputy Speaker Vincent Franco "Duke" Frasco (rightmost)

House Speaker Martin Romualdez has declared his "all-out" support to a program in Cebu that rolled out to consumers good quality rice at P20 per kilo a reality.

Romualdez, President Marcos' top ally in the legislature, was the guest of honor during the launch of the Sugbo Merkadong Barato program on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at Talisay City Hall.

Among the local officials present were at the event were Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia and House Deputy Speaker Cebu 5th district Rep. Vincent Franco "Duke" Frasco.

"All-out support tayo dito sa programa ni governor (We give our all-ou support to the governor's program)," Romualdez said in a chance interview.

"We’ll definitely make sure that this program is fully supported per the recommendations of governor, such as getting adequate supply of rice from the NFA (National Food Authority) where they are sourcing the P20-kilo rice," he noted.

Reducing the retail price of rice down to P20 has been a pipe dream of Marcos, who promised the same during last year's campaign period. The Sugbo Merkadong Barato showed the realization of the President’s vision.

Asked to clarify the kind of support the Cebu governor can expect, Romualdez said, "Itutuloy lang natin, gagawa tayo ng paraan, hahanap tayo ng paraan kung paano masu-suplay natin 'yung NFA nga na sapat ang supply. Para tuloy-tuloy at maging sustainable itong programa ni governor."

(We will continue it, we will find ways, we will look for ways to continue supplying the NFA. This will ensure the sustainably of the governor's program.)

In his speech Tuesday, Romualdez said the program launch "signifies a pivotal step towards achieving food security and economic resilience for the nation".

The Leyte 1st district congressman said the model adopted by Cebu in providing rice at P20 per kilo was revolutionary and deserves replication across the country.

"The Cebu Provincial Government's initiatives, including the Bugasan sa Kababayen-an sa Barangay, the localization of Kadiwa ng Pangulo, and the groundbreaking Sugbo Merkadong Barato, are all commendable steps towards making food more accessible and affordable," the Speaker emphasized.

"These programs are not just about providing rice at lower prices; they are about empowering our communities, particularly our women, farmers, fisherfolks, and micro-entrepreneurs," he added.

Romualdez went on to give major kudos to the Cebuanos.

"Rather than curse in the dark, people of Cebu chose to rise to the challenge and seek innovative ways to address the high prices of rice and other basic goods brought by global inflation," he said.