VP Sara Duterte Speaks on Implementation of P20 per Kilo Rice in Visayas
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President expressed her doubts on the implementation of the P20 per kilo rice in Visayas.
In the 2022 Elections where the BBM-Sara tandem emerged victorious, one of the things that sparked hope among many Filipinos is the possibility of the price of rice being reduced to Php 20 per kilo. Rice is a staple food in the Philippines and it is one of the household purchases that usually gets a huge part of the pie of monthly income.
However, after more than a year since they both won the 2022 Elections, the relationship between the President and the Vice President has turned sour. VP Sara Duterte even took a swipe at Marcos saying that campaign promises like the P20 per kilo rice must be fulfilled. She urged the people to demand for its fulfillment.
Currently, there is visibly a huge gap between the Dutertes and the Marcoses following the controversial arrest of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Countless Filipinos said that Marcos Jr. allegedly had the power to stop the arrest of the former President but he did not. The two (2) highest officials in the government are campaigning different sets of senatorial bets in the upcoming May 2025 Midterm polls.
Recently, the administration of Pres. Bongbong Marcos announced the launching of the P20 per kilo rice program. According to Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the P20 per kilo rice will first be available in the Visayas region.
With the P20 per kilo rice sale implementation in Visayas, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte admitted her doubts on the intention of the program. According to her, it is doubtful that it will not be implemented in Luzon and Mindanao.
“Binubudol na naman nila ‘yung mga tao sa P20 per kilo na bigas at magdududa ka bakit Visayas lang? Hindi ba nagugutom ‘yung mga taga Mindanao? Hindi ba nagugutom ‘yung mga taga-Luzon?” the Vice President said based on a post on Facebook.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also claimed that there is allegedly a meeting of most Visayas governors at the capitol in Cebu. According to her, the administration may allegedly be having a problem with the votes from the region.
“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 expressed.
Neither the Malacañang nor the agriculture department has issued a statement on the remarks of the Vice President. Recently, she visited Negros Occidental in Visayas where she met with the people residing near the recently-erupted Mt. Kanlaon.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte revealed that she will return to The Hague, Netherlands and she made a promise to her parents. The Vice President arrived from The Hague early this month after finalizing the legal team of former Pres. Duterte in his case before the International Criminal Court (ICC).