Following Cebu’s successful implementation of the ₱20-per-kilo rice program through its Sugbo Merkado Barato (SMB) initiative, provinces across the Visayas are set to replicate the so-called “Cebu Template” in delivering affordable rice to their constituents.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that the budget rice program will officially begin rolling out across the Visayas next week, following a meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the governors from Regions 6, 7, and 8 on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that during the meeting, the President discussed with the Visayan governors the P-20 Program, which will be launched in the region starting next week.
The governors in attendance—Aklan Gov. Jose Enrique Miraflores, Guimaras Gov. JC Rahman Nava, Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. of Region 6; Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia of Region 7; Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria, Siquijor Gov. Jake Vincent Villa of the Negros Island Region; Biliran Gov. Gerard Roger Espina, Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, Leyte Gov. Jericho Petilla, Southern Leyte Gov. Damian Mercado, Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan, and Samar Provincial Board Member Fe Tan Arcales representing Gov. Sharee Ann Tan of Region 8—have all agreed to implement the program in their respective provinces.
“Swerte lang namin is we already have a template in Cebu. Dun na lang kami, i-wo-work namin kung ano yung ginawa na ng Cebu,” Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores said in a press conference with Cebu reporters.
The Cebu Provincial Government, under Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, pioneered the initiative in October 2023 through the SMB program, which provided rice at ₱20 per kilo in municipal or city outlets across the province. The Province of Cebu bought rice from the National Food Authority (NFA) at ₱25 per kilo and sold it at ₱20 to beneficiaries identified under the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Listahanan 3, subsidizing the ₱5 difference.
Under the P-20 program of the DA, rice will be made available through Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI), instead of the NFA, at ₱33 per kilo to the provinces. The provinces will then sell the rice to constituents at ₱20, with the ₱13 difference to be shouldered equally by the local government unit (LGU) and the national government at ₱6.50 each.
Provinces in the three regions are now preparing to launch the program, closely modeling their systems after Cebu’s approach, particularly in the use of QR codes. While all citizens can benefit from the program, each province has demographic differences that will shape how local governments tailor the program to identify “priority beneficiaries.” “Iba-iba kasi kami eh,” Miraflores added.
“We’re not as big as Cebu, so siguro we can catch up with 80 percent of our households. But we will prioritize the frontliners,” said Gov. Jake Villa of Siquijor Province.
In Cebu, the SMB program continues by selling cheaper commercial rice to benefit low-income communities, as the sale of the ₱20-per-kilo rice was discontinued when the former NFA Administrator stopped providing rice to the Provincial Government.
With the President’s directive, Cebu will essentially “resume” the same scheme—this time with more clearly identified priority beneficiaries.
As the Visayas collectively embraces the fulfillment of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s campaign promise, the government aims to expand the program nationwide — bringing the vision of affordable rice and greater food security closer to reality for all Filipinos. | PIO
