Navotas lone district Rep. Toby Tiangco

Navotas lone district Rep. Toby Tiangco lauded the Department of Agriculture (DA) for its timely move of expanding its Rice for All program during the holiday season.

Tiangco said this will allow more Fllipinos to purchase more affordable rice.

“Sakto sa Kapaskuhan ang pagpapalawak ng implementation ng Rice-for-All Program. Mabibili na sa mas marami pang public markets, pati na train stations, ang P40 kada kilo na bigas kaya maiibsan din nito ang mga gastusin ng ating mga kababayan," he said. 

(The expanded implementation of the Rice-for-All program is timely for Christmas. This will expand the availability of P40-per-kilo rice at public markets and train stations, which will ease the burden of cost on our countrymen.)

Tiangco said the program aligns with the administration's commitment to fight inflation and lower the prices of goods.

“The President’s marching orders have always been clear - we must take every step possible to keep prices down and help Filipinos deal with inflation," he said. 

“I’m confident this program will continue to expand, given the President’s clear directive to explore all avenues to lower the prices of food staples. Kahit papa’no, mas masaya ang Pasko kung mas magaan sa bulsa ang mga bilihin tulad ng bigas," he added.

(Christmas will somewhat be happier if basic goods like rice will become cheaper.)

According to DA, rice priced at ₱40 per kilo under the program is now available in Maypajo Public Market (Caloocan City), Murphy Market and Cloverleaf Balintawak (Quezon City), La Huerta Market (Parañaque City), and Trabajo Market (Sampaloc, Manila).

The Rice-for-All program is also accessible at Light Rail Transit (LRT) Recto Station and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) stations in Ayala, North Avenue, and Cubao.

“We commend the Department of Agriculture, led by Secretary Tiu, for their relentless efforts to bring down the prices of basic food commodities across the country," he added.