The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday launched the expanded rollout of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”—the flagship food program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.–at select major fish ports in Luzon for the benefit of fisherfolk and registered fishery sector workers.
Initially covering the Navotas Fish Complex in Metro Manila, Sual Fish Port in Pangasinan, and the Lucena Fish Port Complex in Quezon, the program provides fisherfolk and fishery workers listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors of Agriculture access to rice at a subsidized price of P20 per kilo—half the prevailing market price for similar-quality rice.
Eligible beneficiaries of the Benteng Bigas, Meron Na para sa Mangingisda may purchase up to 10 kilos per month by presenting their RSBSA or FishR IDs, or a valid QR code from the online registration system.
The rice subsidy program is led by the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service, under Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, and implemented through the KADIWA ng Pangulo program. Rice stocks are sourced from the National Food Authority (NFA), then distributed via Food Terminal Inc. ### (Photos by Jay Morales, DA-OSEC)
