Benteng Bigas for Baguio’s vulnerable sector to sustain local rice farmers
Text and photos by Hanna C. Lacsamana
Quality rice priced at PhP20 a kilo, a promise made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the start of his administration to sustain rice farmers, is now available to Baguio City residents for the first time on July 16, 2025 after its initial nationwide rollout last May.
A total of 7,500 kilos of rice at Php20 per kilo have been offered to 750 beneficiaries who are senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disability during the launching of the “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” program recently at the Kadiwa ng Pangulo center at the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) compound in Barangay Guisad.
DA-CAR Executive Director Jennilyn Dawayan said the first DA-initiated P20 Bigas Meron Na program in the Cordillera is rooted in the government’s aspiration to make food more accessible and affordable especially to members of the vulnerable sector of the society, and to prop up local farmers especially from the rice-producing Cordillera provinces by purchasing their produce.
“This program brings to life the commitment of President Marcos through Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to ensure that all families have access to affordable rice while supporting our local farmers,” said Dawayan.
Through the National Food Authority (NFA), she said the government ensures rice supplies purchased from local farmers are at better prices to balance consumer price and farmers’ protection.
DA Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said they are targeting to make the P20 rice regularly available, or on a weekly basis, and be accessible in other Cordillera provinces soon.
“We are aiming that Benteng Bigas will be available until 2028 or at least within Pres. Marcos’ term,” Velicaria-Guevarra told reporters, adding that plans are underway to address challenges in logistics and distribution process to reach more places.
She said the government has more than sufficient supply in this part of the country since NFA Region 1 warehouses that cover the Cordillera are fully stocked and ready to buy from a list of rice farmers selling recent harvests to replenish its stocks.
“The better we can expand the program, the better we can buy from our local rice farmers. And we will make this a circular economy, wherein the more we support the P20 program, the more available rice there will be from the farmers,” the Assistant Secretary said.
The DA officials consider the program launch as a significant milestone, since many doubted a kilo of rice at Php20 was possible. Since efforts toward “Benteng Bigas” were started, there are now 126 Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets selling P20 per kilo rice, which they aim to expand to 1,500 stores nationwide by 2028.
NFA Region 1 Director Liza Balagot said the program was initially met with skepticism and laughed at.
“But we at NFA did the math, gave our farmers the support they needed, and now we see it’s possible,” she said.
The officials explained that the government, through the Food Terminal Inc. also under DA, purchases rice from local farmers at its original price and subsidizes part of it to be able to sell at Php20 per kilo. Aside from the Benteng Bigas, rice sold at P35 per kilo is also offered to other members of the society under the Kadiwa ng Pangulo Program.
Velicaria-Guevarra stressed the P20 program is not just about rice but also empowering the farmers. “If they stop planting, we will have nothing to harvest, nothing to eat. Every time we buy P20 rice, we help our farmers continue planting.”
Sampling of cooked P20 rice was also made during the launching to show that the Benteng Bigas is of good quality and comparable to high-priced commercial rice.
