The government’s “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na” program is making headway in Eastern Visayas, offering 3,500 minimum wage earners in Leyte province affordable rice at ₱20 per kilogram—a significant reprieve amid rising food prices.
But as the initiative expands, questions linger about the program’s long-term sustainability and broader impact.
Implemented through a partnership between the National Food Authority (NFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the program targets minimum wage earners, who are among the most affected by inflation.
Workers from two major companies—Philippine Associated Smelting and Refinery (PASAR) in Isabel and the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) in Kananga—have already benefitted from the subsidized rice.
NFA-8 Regional Manager May Ann Sabarre emphasized the agency’s readiness, citing sufficient inventory.
“With enough stocks in our warehouses, we are ready to provide the requirement of DOLE for our low-income workers,” she said.
The NFA currently holds 275,064 bags of rice in 19 warehouses across the region.
However, Sabarre also acknowledged the inventory would only last a week if the government became the sole rice distributor—a caveat that highlights the program’s logistical limits.
DOLE-8 Director Dax Villaruel, on the other hand, defended the initiative as a necessary step in cushioning the impact of rising living costs.
“The DOLE is committed to helping the Filipinos cope with rising prices of goods, particularly rice,” he said, noting that each worker was able to purchase 10 kg of rice during the distribution activities.
While the ₱20/kilo rice serves as an immediate relief for workers, the program’s current design appears reactive rather than strategic.
Without deeper agricultural reforms, local rice production support, and supply chain adjustments, the BBM Na initiative risks becoming a temporary band-aid.
As rollout continues, analysts stress the need for transparency, accountability, and a roadmap that goes beyond sporadic rice distributions.
Otherwise, what starts as economic relief could end as an unsustainable subsidy.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews #BentengBigasMeronNa #NFA