Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. and Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma formalized the inclusion of minimum wage earners among the beneficiaries of the subsidized rice initiative through a signed Memorandum of Agreement. The agreement aims to ease the financial burden of low-income workers while boosting demand for locally produced rice.

The rice distributed under the P20 program is sourced from National Food Authority (NFA) stocks. The NFA, tasked with purchasing palay from local farmers at fair prices—currently between P17 and P30 per kilo—will benefit from increased storage capacity as more rice is sold through the program.

The DA-DOLE partnership also aligns the implementation of the KADIWA ng Pangulo program with DOLE’s Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), clearly defining the roles of each agency. This collaboration ensures that eligible groups—such as labor unions, workers’ associations, and cooperatives—can access livelihood assistance while actively engaging in the agri-based value chains of KADIWA. ### (Photos by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID)