DOLE distributes PHP20/kg rice to 275 Bacolod workers

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) distributed PHP20 per kg rice to 275 minimum wage workers of Innovative Skills Labor Service Cooperative (iSkills) in Bacolod City on Friday as part of the 'Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na! for Minimum Wage Earners' Program.

Each worker received 10 kilos of rice at PHP20 per kg, a significant relief amid rising living costs.

DOLE-Negros Occidental Provincial Head Carmela Abellar emphasized that the program supports President R. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s anti-hunger campaign and ensures access to affordable rice for Filipino workers.

iSkills manager Jerry Ochida praised the initiative, noting plans to extend benefits to their remaining 500 workers.

The BBM Na! program encourages companies to purchase subsidized National Food Authority rice through Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) for their employees, with firms covering logistics costs and paying FTI for the rice.