Marcos’ free rice distribution for 8M families to continue

MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos administration will continue distributing free rice to poor Filipino families every two months, with nearly 8 million households targeted to receive the assistance nationwide, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said on Sunday.

The free rice distribution program was part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that no Filipino family goes hungry.

“This is not a one-time, big-time program. The distribution will take place every two months. The President’s instruction is simple: No Filipino family should go hungry,” Recto said during his visit to Cebu province on Aug. 13.

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Under the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, nearly 8 million poor families are set to receive 10 kilos of free rice every two months.

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Recto led the rice distribution to about 120,000 families in Cebu as part of the program.

He said the initiative would also support local farmers because the government would source the rice from them.

“There are two benefits: There is rice on the table, and farmers earn income,” Recto said.

Recto was accompanied during his Cebu visit by Secretary Philip Lo of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) and Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro.

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READ: Palace: Mandaluyong blacklists supplier of underweight rice sacks

Also present were other Cebu local chief executives: Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, Cordova Mayor Cesar Suan, Alcoy Mayor Jose Eugenio Singson Jr., Aloguinsan Mayor Cesar Ignatius Moreno, Balamban Mayor Amos Edwin Cabahug, Sogod Mayor Lissa Marie Streegan, and Carcar City Mayor Patrick Barcenas.

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READ: Marcos cites LGUs as key to faster rice aid distribution

The program is backed by P57.87 billion from the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) this year, currently the largest LGSF allocation in the fund’s history.

The LGSF also supports roads and farm-to-market roads, water systems, health facilities, and multipurpose buildings that can serve as evacuation centers during disasters.

“What the President wants is for people to feel the government’s presence in every town and barangay,” Recto said.

“When people need help, LGUs should have the capacity to act and provide assistance immediately,” he added.

READ: Marcos’ P58.3-B LGSF a potential patronage tool – economist

Recto urged LGUs to complete their requirements through the Ugnayang Bayan portal so funds for their projects under the LGSF could be released faster.

The Marcos administration is proposing a record-high LGSF of P58.32 billion under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

This amount was even higher than the P57.88-billion LGSF in the 2026 national budget, which was more than double the P23 billion LGSF in 2025.

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Former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno warned that the government should set clear rules for the allocation of the LGSF to prevent it from becoming a tool for political patronage for the upcoming 2028 presidential elections. /cb