IBON Slams Marcos’ PHP20 Rice Program as Gimmick

By Juliane Judilla

Research group IBON Foundation has criticized the Marcos administration’s Benteng Bigas Meron Na! (BBM Na!) rice program, calling it “a publicity device with a very limited budget.”

The group argued that only structural reforms—not temporary measures or superficial fixes—can make rice genuinely affordable for millions of Filipinos.

Launched on May 1 in the Visayas, the BBM Na! program operates in 19 towns in Cebu province and more than 30 Kadiwa centers in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

Under the program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, senior citizens, solo parents and persons with disabilities (PWDs) may purchase up to 30 kilograms of rice per month.

Contingency funds from the Office of the President will support up to two million households—but only until December.

“While offering some short-term relief for a few families, the BBM Na! program smacks of insincerity,” said IBON Executive Director Sonny Africa.

“It rations rice to poor households, scrimps on funding and leaves out millions who also struggle to afford food,” he added.

Africa said the program falls far short of the bold effort needed to realize the president’s campaign promise of PHP20 rice, describing it as “a public relations gimmick dressed up as policy.”

IBON noted that based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the average Filipino consumes 118.8 kilograms of rice annually.

For a family of five, this equates to about 50 kilograms per month—20 kilograms more than the BBM Na! monthly cap.

The group said the program’s PHP4.5 billion allocation, based on a PHP13-per-kilo subsidy for National Food Authority rice priced at PHP33, only covers 997,761 households until yearend.

This figure leaves out more than a million households from the government’s stated two million target.

“Even BBM Na!’s target is modest,” the group said, noting that the 4Ps program alone already includes over four million households.

IBON argued that the limited scope of the program exposes it as a political stunt meant to deflect criticism of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s unfulfilled campaign promise.

“Already in its midterm, the Marcos administration is no closer to achieving affordable rice because it refuses to take the bold measures needed,” the group said.

IBON stressed that resolving the agriculture crisis requires ending reliance on rice imports, providing direct and substantial farmer support, buying local rice in bulk and rebuilding the country’s agricultural base.