Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Speaks on Cheap Rice Program of PH Gov’t
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President reacted to the halting of the rollout of the P20 per kilo rice program by the government.
Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Laurel Jr. previously announced that rice will be sold at P20 per kilo in Visayas. Undeniably, since the victory of Pres. Bongbong Marcos in the 2022 Elections, countless Filipinos aspired for the fulfillment of his campaign promise of affordable rice.
However, the announcement of the DA gained criticism from Vice Pres. Sara Duterte who questioned the rollout of the P20 per kilo rice in Visayas. She claimed that the government may allegedly be having a problem with the votes in the region.
According to Duterte, the rice rollout is allegedly another “budol” from the government. She stressed that it is only available in Visayas although it is also a need in Mindanao and Luzon.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also commented on the quality of rice saying it must be fit for human consumption. According to the Vice President, the rice that is usually sold at the said price is used in feeding pigs.
The agriculture department said it was “deeply hurt” by the remarks of Duterte on the rice quality. Laurel stressed that the department is committed to producing quality rice for the Filipino people. In a media conference, the officials ate cooked NFA rice.
According to the department, the rice that will be sold at P20 per kilo is originally priced at P33 per kilo. However, following the advice of the Commission on Elections to prevent accusations that it is in line with the Elections, the Department of Agriculture decided to temporarily halt the rollout of the P20 per kilo rice.
According to DA, the rice sale will resume immediately after the elections. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte reacted to the halting of the cheap rice program a day after its rollout.
Based on a report on Inquirer, Vice Pres. Duterte claimed that the government allegedly knew that it could not deliver, thus, it stopped its cheap rice program. She made the remarks at a chance interview in Zamboanga del Sur.
“Hindi talaga nila kaya na ibigay nang totoo ‘yung P20 ang kilo ng bigas,” the Vice President said.
Based on the report, Vice Pres. Duterte further expressed that the government allegedly made another promise that they know they could not deliver. DA has yet to react to the claims of the Vice President.
“Kaya nila tinigil ‘yan kasi alam talaga nila na hindi talaga nila kaya ibenta. Sinubukan nila na mag-promise na naman ulit, na alam nilang hindi nila kayang ibigay,” she said.
Previously, the agriculture department said that P5 billion is allotted to fund the program. Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque tagged the rice program as allegedly the “panic mode” of the Marcos administration.