Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced on September 16, that public school teachers and non-teaching personnel will be covered by the P20-per-kilo program starting next month.
He said that DA is working with the Department of Education (DepEd) to prepare for the new phase of the program.
“We are finalizing the list,” Tiu Laurel told reporters at the DA office in Quezon City during the rollout of the expanded rice distribution targeting jeepney and tricycle drivers, as well as other transport workers.
“But there’s a chance that all school personnel will be covered, depending on the salary grade,” he added, also noting that the coverage may extend beyond teachers.
The DA aims to roll out the said program for school personnel on October 15.
DepEd is one of the government’s largest agencies, with a workforce of about 800,000 teachers and non-teaching staff across the country.
Laurel said that the size of manpower is being taken into consideration in preparing the program’s implementation.
The P20 rice initiative, one of President Marcos’ key campaign promises, has been gradually expanded to cover more vulnerable groups.
The beneficiaries of the program include senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, farmers, fisherfolk, minimum wage earners, and transport workers.
The DA plans to sell about 1,000 tons of rice daily under the program by October. The volume is expected to double to 2,000 tons in November and reach 3,000 tons by December.
The program could cover as many as 3.6 million households by year-end based on the 10-kilo monthly rice allocation per household and thrice-weekly selling at Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets.
Tiu Laurel said the National Food Authority has sufficient rice stock to sustain the subsidy, which also seeks to ensure fair prices for local rice farmers.
The DA is eyeing to expand coverage of the program to 15 million households or about 60 million Filipinos by the end of 2026.
