EDITORIAL
P29 Rice Program: A political stunt?
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s P29 Rice Program recently got a new brand
ambassador, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who earned the moniker “Mr.Rice”
Romualdez.
According to a press release from the House of Representatives, the program,
which launched its large-scale trial on Friday (July 5), will operate in 10 locations across
Metro Manila and Bulacan. It offers rice at P29 per kilogram to vulnerable groups,
including members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), senior citizens,
persons with disabilities (PWDs), and solo parents.
Romualdez explained that this initiative ensures that affordable rice reaches
those who need it most. He said the government will gather vital data during the trial to
ensure a smooth nationwide rollout, with the ultimate goal of achieving rice self-
sufficiency by 2028. Beneficiaries can purchase the subsidized rice every Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday, with a limit of 10 kilos per household each month. Each trial site
is expected to support around 60,000 households monthly.
Is the P29 Rice Program the perfect solution to the hunger experienced by those
in the most vulnerable groups?
In the 6 th International Rice Research Congress, where industry experts from
Southeast Asia gathered, Dr. Leocadio Sebastian, the Undersecretary for Rice Industry
Development of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, said the challenges of getting
the technologies to the hands of rice farmers cause highly variable yields. Innovations
are essential because they help farmers sustain their yields and incomes despite a
worsening climate landscape. He reiterated that technologies like direct-seeded rice and
digital technology for precision agriculture need to be scaled further, and he also
stressed the importance of investing in rice research because it is a public good that
almost all people in the country consume.
Along with other rice production problems, such as expensive farm inputs, the
sad state of our country’s agriculture contributed to the meteoric rise in rice prices to a
14-year in September last yeardespite the imposition of a government cap on them.
Rumored to be aiming to succeed his first cousin in the Malacañang Palace in the
2028 presidential polls, Mr. Rice comes like a knight in shining armor to about 9.79
million Filipinos whose income was not enough to buy even the basic food needs by
providing them with P29 per kilo rice. To add to the menu of this political soiree barely a
year prior to the midterm elections, the Marcos government is now flooding every nook
and cranny of voters vulnerable to patronage politics with highly controversial financial
aid under the AICS and TUPAD programs.
Politicians fully know the root cause of the problem pointed out by the experts.
They know that addressing the root cause may involve introducing structural changes
and well-meaning reforms that will take time. With experts and passionate individuals
taking the helm, politicians are too scared to be put on the sidelines. Hence, the simple
but effective political strategy is to directly address the problem superficially: If the
person has no money, give him money; If he is hungry, give him food to eat.
As the midterm elections draw near, the Philippine economy will see more dole-
outs. In the coming months, Mr. Rice will have his counterparts dressed in different
political fashions.