House Speaker Martin Romualdez is upbeat with the Department of Agriculture's (DA)rollout of the P20 per kilo rice program, saying it represents the institutionalization of President Marcos' campaign promise.
“This is not a one-time rollout. This is the beginning of a national transformation. President Marcos is showing us that with political will and smart budgeting, P20/kilo rice is not just possible—it’s happening,” Romualdez said in a statement Sunday, May 18.
The DA began distributing last month P20 per kilo rice in select areas through the National Food Authority (NFA), using locally sourced palay from Filipino farmers.
Romualdez, who won a fresh mandate as Leyte 1st district congressman in the May 12 polls, said that Congress will support and expand this model--that is, buying the grain from farmers at fair prices and selling to people with low incomes at subsidized rates.
“We will allocate the necessary funds to scale this program nationwide through the 2026 General Appropriations Act. This kind of ayuda uplifts everyone—consumers, farmers, and the economy,” he said.
Romualdez, who is poised to retain the Speakership in the upcoming 20th Congress, says the House of Representatives is fully backing President Marcos' flagship initiative by preparing to institutionalize the P20 per kilo rice program through the 2026 national budget.
He said this would ensure that it becomes a sustainable nationwide policy and not just a pilot project. Rice is the Filipino staple food.
The Speaker and Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president noted that the House is studying ways to consolidate and align existing programs, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) food assistance, and DA’s Rice Program, to build a unified Rice Assistance Fund.
This fund would empower the NFA to stabilize supply and deliver rice at P20 per kilo to qualified beneficiaries on a sustained basis, Romualdez said.
“We will also consider tapping AKAP (Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program) and other targeted subsidy programs as complementary channels to reach the near-poor and vulnerable,” he added.
The House leader assured the public that the House, in coordination with the executive branch, will ensure that the rollout of the P20 per kilo rice program will be efficient, transparent, and protected from corruption or abuse. It will utilize technology like national ID integration, e-vouchers, and digital monitoring.
“No Filipino should go hungry when our farmers are ready to feed the nation. P20 per kilo rice is not a fantasy—it’s a question of priority. And it is a top priority under this administration,” Romualdez said.