The education sector has been added as beneficiary of “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” initiative under KADIWA ng Pangulo program.

On Friday, Nov. 28, the departments of Agriculture (DA) and of Education (DepEd) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to implement the program, ensuring that schools and educational institutions gain access to affordable rice.

During KADIWA ng Pangulo Expo 2025, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized that while the initiative will benefit nearly 800,000 teachers, its implementation will be handled by the DepEd, not the DA.

For the deployment, Tiu Laurel said that “the plan is to prioritize the most remote areas.”

He added that the program will be coordinated with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), noting that schools located within municipalities and barangays can access ₱20 rice through their local government units (LGUs).

For schools in areas without such administrative coverage, Tiu Laurel said that priority distribution will be managed by the DepEd and will depend on Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.

Specifically, the DA chief said priority will be given to Camarines Sur, Romblon, and Camiguin provinces.

“Our target is 15 million households in that program. Technically, that’s for the whole year,” he said. “So, every week, we are really deploying. Technically, what we can see is five outlets per day.”

“For Western Samar, our data shows that 90 percent of residents are middle class and below. Eastern Samar is almost the same, while in Zamboanga del Norte, the figure is around 80 percent,” he added.

The program has benefited all sectors in Batanes and Catanduanes provinces, addressing high rice prices in Batanes and supporting recovery efforts in Catanduanes following recent storms, Tiu Laurel noted.

He added that they are also trying other provinces as well.

Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel raised concerns over rising cost of red onions, describing current prices as “already alarming” and noting that authorities are investigating profiteering.

“The price shouldn’t be that high,” he said, pointing out that red onions have surged to ₱250 to ₱300 per kilo.

“The red onions should be only ₱20 per kilo,” he added.

He also called for the imposition of a suggested retail price (SRP), noting that until the end of January, the price of red onions should not exceed ₱120 per kilo, given that the import cost is only ₱60.

“That is profiteering,” he said.

(Ricardo M. Austria)