18,582 iKalingas benefit from 2026 LGSF rice assistance - according to Office of the Provincial Agriculturist data

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — A total of 18,582 iKalingas have benefited from the 2026 Local Government Support Fund (LGSF)–Food Assistance/Rice Distribution Project, with the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) distributing the same number of 10-kilogram bags of rice as of September 21.

The distribution represents 185,820 kilograms or 185.82 metric tons of rice, reaching 71 percent of the program’s target, according to Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Sol G. Lawagan.

Lawagan provided the update during the regular flag-raising ceremony at the Kalinga Sports Center in Bulanao, Tabuk City, on September 21.

She said the project aims to provide rice assistance to families and individuals who need support, particularly amid rising food prices.

“The main [purpose] of this project is to help families and individuals who mostly need [assistance], especially with the rising cost of food, by providing rice assistance,” Lawagan said.

To ensure that the assistance reaches the intended beneficiaries, OPAg is using the master list provided by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).

The list covers indigent individuals, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), solo parents, and low-income earners from the different municipalities of the province.

Lawagan said the office is also using the list provided by the Provincial Human Resource Management Office (PHRMO) to identify vulnerable sectors within the provincial government who qualify for the assistance.

She said the rice distribution will continue according to the established schedule, with completion targeted by November 2026.

₱17-M rice assistance

The provincial government earlier received ₱17 million in rice assistance under the 2026 LGSF.

The funding was approved under the LGSF-Financial Assistance (LGSF-FA) through the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, with the provincial government tasked with implementing rice assistance for beneficiaries across Kalinga.

The current distribution is part of broader government efforts to make rice more accessible to vulnerable sectors.

In 2025, 52,653 individuals across the Cordillera Administrative Region benefited from the Department of Agriculture’s Benteng Bigas, Meron Na program from July 16 to December 31.

Kalinga accounted for 7,754 beneficiaries, while Mountain Province recorded 15,578, Baguio City 8,785, Benguet 8,650, Ifugao 6,793, Abra 3,593, and Apayao 1,500.

The Kalinga provincial government also began rolling out the ₱20-per-kilogram Benteng Bigas program in May 2026. The initiative was launched at the Kalinga Sports Center on May 22, with OPAg making affordable rice available through Kadiwa activities and other events.

With 71 percent of its target already reached as of September 21, OPAg will continue the distribution in the coming weeks to reach the remaining intended beneficiaries.