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Minimum-wage earners selected for P20 subsidized-rice program
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will expand the "Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na" program to offer rice at PHP20 per kilogram to minimum wage earners.
An initial 120,000 minimum-wage earners, selected from a DOLE list of employees from companies interested in the pilot program, will be beneficiaries.
These beneficiaries will be eligible to buy up to 10 kilograms of subsidized rice per month per person.
The DA confirmed there is enough rice supply from the National Food Authority (NFA) to cover the program until December.
The DA is still developing a mechanism to prevent duplication of beneficiaries, as some workers may qualify under other categories.
The DA is considering workplace deliveries for distribution and has a P500-million budget for logistics costs through Food Terminal, Inc.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. met with Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma to discuss the program's expansion.
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Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma clarified that the government's P20 rice program is not intended to substitute a potential wage increase for minimum wage earners.
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The Department of Agriculture (DA) has assured that the National Food Authority's (NFA) current rice inventory is sufficient to sustain the P20 per kilogram subsidized rice program until the end of the year.
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Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro and Mayor-elect Nestor Archival of Cebu have committed to supporting the provincial government's P20-per-kilo rice program, aiming to make rice more affordable for residents.
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