Free rice under P145-M fund for thousands of Cebu City families

CEBU CITY, Philippines — About 60,000 of the poorest families here will receive free rice under a P145-million Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) from the national government, Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. said on Wednesday.

He stressed that the new initiative was entirely separate from the city’s ongoing P20-per-kilo subsidized rice program.

The distinction was made a day after Archival announced the P145-million food security grant during his first State of the City Address (SOCA). The announcement had prompted questions over whether the funding would be used to expand the existing subsidized program.

READ: In first SOCA, Archival seeks billions in nat’l funds for Cebu projects

According to the mayor, the two rice initiatives will operate independently.

Unlike the “Benteng Bigas” program, where qualified beneficiaries still pay P20 per kilo for rice while the national government covers the subsidy, the LGSF-funded program will distribute rice free of charge to families identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The mayor said the program directly targeted the city’s most vulnerable residents as the government continued efforts to cushion households from rising food prices and inflation.

Free rice for poorest households

“This is free,” Archival said.

Under the program, the city government will purchase the rice using the P145-million grant, while the DSWD will identify the beneficiaries based on its list of vulnerable households.

“Libre ni, dili to paliton (This is free. They will not have to buy it),” he said.

Archival estimated that around 60,000 families would benefit from the assistance.

Based on figures presented during his SOCA, the city expects to procure roughly 180,000 sacks of 10-kilogram rice, enough to support tens of thousands of low-income households.

Different from P20-per-kilo rice

Archival emphasized that the city’s role in the P20-per-kilo rice initiative remained limited.

He explained that the subsidized rice program would operate through the national government, which would purchase the rice and would make it available for sale to qualified beneficiaries.

The city government merely assists with logistics, including repacking and coordinating distribution schedules.

Residents still pay for the rice directly through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI).

Instead, the city provides manpower to help package the rice and informs eligible beneficiaries, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, fisherfolk, and other priority sectors, about distribution schedules.

Payments go directly to FTI rather than the Cebu City Government.

City to manage distribution

For the LGSF program, however, Archival said the city would take a more active role.

After procuring the rice using the national government grant, the city will coordinate with the DSWD to identify qualified beneficiaries before distributing the rice free of charge.

The mayor said the initiative complemented the city’s broader food security agenda, which also included expanding Kadiwa-style food caravans, promoting urban agriculture and pursuing the establishment of a food terminal with assistance from the Department of Agriculture.

Food security drive

During his SOCA, Archival identified food security as one of his administration’s priority programs, citing Cebu City’s heavy dependence on food supplies coming from outside the island.

He earlier disclosed that the Department of Agriculture had also expressed willingness to fund a food terminal worth between P300 million and P1 billion, while the city continues expanding greenhouse farming, hydroponics and demonstration farms to strengthen local food production.

The free rice distribution, he said, was part of the efforts to improve food access for Cebu City’s most economically vulnerable residents while reducing the impact of rising food costs.

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