Malacañang eyes nationwide P20/kg rice rollout before end of Marcos term

Metro Manila, Philippines – A nationwide rollout of rice for P20 per kilogram (kg) remains a top priority of the administration, a Palace official said Thursday.

In an interview on The Newsmaker, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government is working to expand the program following its pilot test in the Visayas.

“Eventually po, pati po sa Luzon and Mindanao, pipilitin pa rin po natin. Yan naman din po yung pangarap ng ating Pangulo. So titignan lang po natin yung mga LGUs na maaari din po magbigay ng subsidiya,” said Castro.

[Translation: Eventually, we’ll push for it in Luzon and Mindanao as well. That has always been the president’s dream. We’ll just assess which local government units can also provide subsidies.]

“But definitely bago po matapos yung term ni pangulo, eh siguro nagawa na po itong nationwide rollout,” she added.

[Translation: But definitely, before the president’s term ends, the nationwide rollout will likely be completed.]

Castro clarified that the pilot launch of the cheaper rice program is not a reaction to the declining trust and approval ratings of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or a political move ahead of the midterm elections.

“Yung hindi po natin masasabi na ito ay para pang politika o pang eleksyon lamang po. Nagkataon lang po siguro na matapos maaral kung paano ito maisasakatuparan,” she said.

[Translation: We can’t really say this is just for politics or the elections. It just so happened that after careful study, we found a way to implement it]

Castro added that the Department of Agriculture will soon release details on how the rice program will be carried out nationwide.

However, she appealed to local candidates not to use the program for political gain.

“Sinabi naman din po ng Comelec na wala namang pagbabawal po ito, lalo na po ay makikinabang naman dito ang karamihan ng mga Pilipino. Ang hindi lang po pwede, of course, na gamitin ito ng mga kandidato. Ang sabi nga po natin, hindi talaga. Dapat hindi gamitin ito ng mga kandidato na tool sa kanilang pangangampanya,” Castro said.

[Translation: The Comelec has said there’s no prohibition, especially since many Filipinos will benefit from this. What’s not allowed, of course, is for candidates to use it for campaigning. As we’ve said, they really shouldn’t. It must not be used as a political tool.]

Not another ‘pambubudol’

Castro also responded to Vice President Sara Duterte’s remark that the P20/kg rice program is another form of public deception.

“Siguro mas maganda po talaga sa ating vicepresidente, alamin-alamin muna po talaga kung ano ba yung nangyayari… So sabi nga natin, siguro yan po ang nagiging pananaw ng isang tao na itim ang nakikita sa paligid, hindi niya nakikita ang liwanag o siguro ayaw niya lang mabuksan ang kanyang mata para makitaang may ginagawa ang gobyerno,” she said.

[Translation: Perhaps it would be better for our vice president to find out what’s really going on first… As we’ve said, maybe that’s just the view of someone who only sees darkness around them, not the light - or maybe she simply refuses to open her eyes to see that the government is taking action.]

Castro further urged Duterte to stop dragging the government down.

“Sana iwasan, lalo lalo na ng vice president, yung tinatawag natin crab mentality. Sabi nga natin sana iwasan maging anay sa lipunan. Huwag sirain. Siya ay isang leader, nasa gobyerno siya, dapat tumulong siya,” she said.

[Translation: Hopefully, especially the vice president, avoids the crab mentality. As we’ve said, we should not be termites in society. Don’t destroy. She’s a leader and part of the government, she should help.]