The Cebu Provincial Government will launch President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s Benteng Bigas Meron Na program on May 20, 2026, offering subsidized rice at P20 per kilo to residents.
Initial Participation and Supply
As of Monday, May 11, a total of 15 local government units had submitted letters of intent to participate in the program, which will be implemented in partnership with Food Terminal Incorporated and the Department of Agriculture. Eliazar Sabinay of the Cebu Provincial Development Office said the province has secured an initial 6,000 sacks of premium rice for the first rollout.
Funding and Target Beneficiaries
Funded through the Office of the President, the program aims to provide affordable rice to farmers, fishermen and minimum wage earners. Sabinay said interested LGUs must submit a letter of intent to the provincial government. Under the guidelines, purchase limits will be imposed to prevent abuse. Farmers and fishermen may buy up to 50 kilos per purchase, while other qualified sectors are limited to 10 to 20 kilos.
Accountability Measures
Participating LGUs are also required to sign a memorandum of agreement with the Provincial Capitol. The agreement mandates that LGUs handle the storage, sale and collection of payments, which must then be remitted to the province. Sabinay said the MOA was introduced to prevent issues encountered in previous initiatives, such as unremitted payments and lack of accountability.
Initial Phase LGUs
The 15 LGUs identified for the initial phase are Alcoy, Dumanjug, Cordova, Catmon, Tudela, Carcar City, Barili, Pinamungajan, Consolacion, Compostela, Malabuyoc, Sogod, Ginatilan, Samboan and Medellin, where the program will be launched on May 20. The province expects the program to expand to 20 LGUs as more towns submit letters of intent.
Quality and Storage
To address concerns over food quality, Sabinay said the rice is premium grade. He added that the province is developing improved storage facilities in northern and southern Cebu. Rice needs a good storage system. Since we currently lack specialized warehouses, the stocks will be disposed of and distributed immediately after procurement to prevent spoilage, Sabinay said. The initial rollout will involve 250,000 sacks of rice, to be delivered in batches. Future distributions will depend on the availability of the nationwide supply.
Relaunch in Lapu-Lapu City
In Lapu-Lapu City, the City Government relaunched its P20-per-kilo rice program on Monday, May 11, in a bid to make affordable rice more accessible amid soaring prices of basic commodities. During the relaunch at the Lapu-Lapu City Auditorium in Barangay Poblacion, Mayor Ma. Cynthia Cindi King-Chan said the initiative initially benefited around 1,000 residents from vulnerable sectors, with 200 sacks of subsidized rice distributed during the activity. She said each beneficiary received 10 kilos of rice under the City Government's continuing food security program. We remain committed to easing the burden of rising costs for our vulnerable sectors, Chan said.
Implemented in partnership with FTI and the DA, the initiative allows the City Government to procure rice at subsidized rates and sell it at P20 per kilo to qualified beneficiaries, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, 4Ps beneficiaries, fisherfolk and indigent residents. Councilor Annabeth Cuizon, chairperson of the committee on social services, said in a message to SunStar Cebu that 64,241 beneficiaries from vulnerable sectors in the city qualify under the program. Of the total qualified beneficiaries, 41,275 are senior citizens, 11,895 are PWDs, 5,427 are solo parents and 5,644 are 4Ps beneficiaries. As of March, Cuizon said 1,835 sacks of rice had already been sold to 7,813 beneficiaries under the subsidized rice program.
Rice distribution is scheduled from Monday to Thursday, with at least 300 beneficiaries accommodated daily. Earlier, the City Government earmarked P3 million from its General Fund to procure additional rice on top of the supply distributed through FTI. Cuizon said the P3 million allocation could cover around 3,000 sacks of rice. However, the initial batch will not be enough to cover all 64,241 qualified beneficiaries. She said once the 3,000 sacks are consumed, the City Government will procure another batch using proceeds from the first rollout to ensure the program's continued implementation. Local officials said the City Government is also looking into making subsidized rice available in barangays to improve accessibility for residents.
