Who got the rice? Iloilo City aid off to a rocky start

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Complaints over beneficiary selection and lack of coordination with barangay officials have hounded the rollout of Iloilo City’s “Bigay Bigas sa Masa” program, prompting the city government to assure the public that the distribution follows national guidelines.

In a statement on July 2, the city government said it has received comments, suggestions, and complaints from the public regarding the identification of recipients, and vowed to ensure that the distribution is carried out fairly.

Several barangay officials said the city government did not coordinate with them before the rice distribution.

Barangay captains said they were not informed about the schedule of distribution, list of beneficiaries, selection process, and implementing procedures.

Some learned about the program only after rice was already being distributed, or after residents started asking questions.

Residents also complained that some qualified families did not receive rice while other households allegedly received several sacks.

They said beneficiaries appeared to have been selectively chosen.

“The city government assures the public that all opinions, suggestions, and complaints are being carefully heard to ensure that the implementation of the program complies with the policies and implementing guidelines of the national government,” the statement read.

The city said beneficiary selection is based on the Department of Budget and Management-Department of the Interior and Local Government Joint Circular No. 1, Series of 2026, and Local Budget Circular No. 169.

Under the guidelines, qualified beneficiaries include poor, near-poor, and vulnerable households, minimum wage earners, and other sectors in need, including solo parents, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, workers, indigenous peoples, and families affected by continuing economic and local challenges.

The city government emphasized that priority is given to households that have not yet received rice assistance from other government programs, to prevent duplication of benefits and allow more families to receive aid.

The implementing guidelines also require local government units to provide rice assistance to at least 25% of their population, based on the 2024 Census.

The city government launched the rice aid at the La Paz Gymnasium on June 29, where the first 1,030 beneficiaries received their allocation.

Each qualified household will receive 10 kilograms of rice per distribution, with succeeding distributions scheduled in August and October.

A total of 41,958 households identified by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) are expected to benefit from the program.

The initiative was funded through PHP 72 million that the city received from the national government’s Local Government Support Fund.

The CSWDO further encouraged residents to submit valid comments, suggestions, and information to help ensure that the assistance reaches the families most in need.

The program forms part of a wider national rice subsidy push. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in February ordered the direct release of Local Government Support Fund allocations to local government units, raising the fund to a record of nearly PHP 58 billion for 2026.

The assistance comes as food costs strain low-income households. Retail prices of well-milled rice averaged about PHP 57 per kilogram nationwide in early June 2026, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The need remains steep across the region. About 151,000 households in Western Visayas were unable to meet their minimum food requirements in 2023 despite the region’s surplus production of key agricultural commodities, based on Regional Development Council data citing the Philippine Statistics Authority.