Statement of Malacañang on VP Sara Duterte Doubting Government’s Intention over P20 per Kilo Rice in Visayas
Malacañang press officer Atty. Claire Castro hit back at the criticism of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte on the P20 per kilo rice sale in Visayas.
After Pres. Bongbong Marcos won the 2022 presidential elections, countless Filipinos hoped that the cost of rice will be reduced to P20 per kilo. However, after two (2) years since he assumed post, it remained a dream for many Filipinos.
In November last year, amid the souring relationship between Pres. Marcos and Vice Pres. Sara Duterte who once made a victorious tandem, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte urged the people to demand the government to fulfill the P20 per kilo rice campaign promise.
Recently, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced that the P20 per kilo rice will be first available in Visayas. It elicited different reactions from the Filipino people.
Recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte reacted to the P20 per kilo rice sale in Visayas. According to the Vice President, the government is allegedly fooling the people “again” and it is confusing why it is only implemented in Visayas.
“Magdududa ka bakit Visayas lang? Hindi ba nagugutom ‘yung mga taga Mindanao? Hindi ba nagugutom ‘yung mga taga-Luzon?” the Vice President said.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also claimed that the governors in Visayas had a meeting at the Cebu capitol. She claimed that there is probably a problem with the votes from Visayas.
“Bakit P20 per kilo lang dito sa Visayas at bakit merong meeting sa Cebu capitol ang lahat ng mga governors o karamihan ng mga governors sa Visayas. So baka may problema sila sa boto dito sa Visayas,” she said.
Recently, Malacañang reacted to the “criticism” of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte on the P20 per kilo rice sale in Visayas. Based on a post of Inquirer, Palace Press Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro called on the Vice President not to have a crab mentality.
“Huwag pairalin ang crab mentality, huwag maging anay sa lipunan,” the Malacañang Press Officer said.
Based on the post, Castro urged the critics not to be negative. The Malacañang Press Officer stressed that the P20 per kilo rice is an aspiration of Pres. Bongbong Marcos even since he campaigned for the presidency in 2022.
According to the press officer of Malacañang, Visayas was the place chosen to which there would be a rice sale because of the excess in the stock of rice in the NFA warehouses in the region. Castro also stressed the local government units also agreed to it.
Recently, in a public event, a woman looked for the handsome bodyguard of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and she joked that she’s with “Sandro Marcos”.