P20 per kilo rice launched in CAR; Baguio minimum wage earners first to benefit

Baguio City, Philippines - Minimum wage earners in Baguio City are the first to benefit from the “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” program in Cordillera, offering rice at a subsidized rate of P20 per kilogram. 

Launched on June 13, 2025, at the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in Loakan, Baguio City, a total of 185 workers of ADRESTI Philippines Incorporated received access to affordable rice. 

In its press release, the regional Department of Agriculture (DA-Cordillera) said each of the workers bought 10 kilos of rice and is entitled to purchase up to 10 kilos per month at the same price. 

The rice sold and to be bought by the beneficiaries comes from local farmers in Kalinga and Apayao, stored by their respective provincial National Food Authority (NFA) offices, and later turned over to the regional office. 

The Benteng Bigas Meron Na is part of the Rice-for-All Nationwide program of the country’s DA, in partnership with the NFA and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). 

The program aims to ease the burden of rising food costs, especially for those in low-income households, classified as poor, and minimum wage earners in the country. 

In Cordillera, there are 1,500 expected beneficiaries across its six provinces and Baguio. The rollout of the program in Kalinga, Apayao, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, and Abra will be conducted in the coming days.