A timely and welcome relief for workers in the transport sector.

That's how House Speaker Martin Romualdez described the inclusion of jeepney and tricycle drivers in the list of beneficiaries under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” (BBM Na) program, or the administration's P20-per-kilo rice initiative.

“Apektado ang ating mga jeepney at tricycle driver sa magkakasunod na pagtaas ng presyo ng produktong petrolyo, kaya’t madalas silang nag-aalala kung paano pagkakasyahin ang kanilang kita para sa pangangailangan ng kanilang pamilya,” Romualdez said in a statement Saturday, Aug. 30.

(Our jeepney and tricycle drivers are affected by the consecutive increases in fuel prices, which often leaves them worried about how to stretch their earnings to meet their families’ needs)

“Sa tulong ng [DA] at ng Kadiwa ng Pangulo, makakahinga na nang maluwag ang ating mga tsuper at makakapag-uwi ng mura at de-kalidad na bigas para sa kanilang mga mahal sa buhay,” he added.

(With the help of the [DA] and the President’s Kadiwa program, our drivers can now breathe easier and bring home affordable and quality rice for their loved ones.)

During the launch of the P20 per kilo rice program for fishermen at Navotas Fish Port on Friday, Aug. 29, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced, in coordination with Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vivencio "Vince" Dizon, that jeepney and tricycle drivers would be included as BBM Na beneficiaries.

“Ito ang klase ng lingkod-bayan sa ilalim ng Marcos administration—mga programang damang-dama ng ating mga kababayan dahil maingat na pinag-isipan at tunay na nakatutulong upang mapagaan ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino,” Romualdez said.

(This is the kind of public service under the Marcos administration—programs that our fellow citizens truly feel, because they are carefully thought out and genuinely help ease the lives of every Filipino.)

The “BBM Na” program for the transport sector will be launched in five pilot areas across the country on Sept. 16.

Beneficiaries endorsed by the DOTr will be entitled to purchase up to 10 kilos of rice per month through 212 Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets and accredited sites in local government offices.

Currently, the lower-priced rice is available to rice farmers, fisherfolk, minimum wage earners, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, and beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) 4Ps and Walang Gutom programs.

The DA aims to eventually cover 15 million households—or around 60 million Filipinos—under the P20 rice initiative.

Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district congressman, says that including jeepney and tricycle drivers in the program is vital since they are “among the most vulnerable to the constant fluctuations in fuel prices".

The House leader reiterated his earlier pledge to pursue measures that would institutionalize and make the BBM Na program a permanent government initiative.

“Bagamat patunay ang inisyatibong ito na nakikinig ang Marcos administration sa hinaing ng ating mga kababayan, hindi dapat tumigil ang pagpapalawig ng programang ito sa ating mga tsuper at iba pang sektor. Buo ang ating suporta sa pangarap ng Pangulo na bigyan ng pagkakataon at pag-asa ang ating kapos-palad na kababayan upang maibsan ang gutom at mapagaan ang kanilang buhay,” he said.

(While this initiative proves that the Marcos administration listens to the concerns of our people, the expansion of this program for our drivers and other sectors must not stop. We fully support the President’s vision to give opportunity and hope to our underprivileged countrymen, to alleviate hunger and improve their lives.)