Agri chief takes medical leave
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Walang Gutom Program (WGP) can now purchase the National Food Authority rice at P20 per kilo.
The DA said in a statement on Tuesday, July 8, the official rollout of the P20-per-kilogram rice program was held during a food redemption activity at the Morsac Basketball Court in Barangay 69, Tondo, Manila on Monday, July 6.
Under the WGP, households with solo parents, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities receive P3,000 in monthly food credits through electronic benefit transfer cards, which they can redeem for food items on scheduled distribution days after completing the required nutrition education sessions. (Other eligible buyers of the P20/kilo rice, outside of the WGP, are the indigent families listed in the government’s conditional cash transfer program called the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or the 4Ps, and minimum wage earners identified by participating private companies and the Department of Labor and Employment.)
The DSWD said that to date, its WGP has served over 300,000 families and will reach 750,000 households by 2028.
“Through this partnership, our beneficiaries can now buy rice at an unprecedented P20 per kilo from DA-accredited retailers and Kadiwa outlets… This significantly increases the value of their food credits, helping families access healthier meals,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the program has been benefitting not just low-income consumers, but local rice farmers as well.
“Our partnership with the DSWD to expand President Marcos’ P20/kg rice program helps financially challenged families and supports local agriculture. Every bag of rice sold, frees up storage for two sacks of palay that the National Food Authority must buy from farmers at fair prices,” he explained in the DA statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in the same statement, the DA announced that Tiu Laurel will take a two-week medical leave starting Wednesday, July 9, to undergo a procedure.
The DA said that he had deferred pursuing the medical procedure when he started his public service career in November 2023.
Agriculture Undersecretary Roger Navarro will be the officer-in-charge during the DA secretary’s medical leave.
Tiu Laurel will resume his duties on July 24, days before the annual State of the Nation Address of the President on July 28, the DA said.
“Even while I’m abroad for my medical leave, I will continue to monitor developments on the ground. We will continue working,” he said in the DA statement.
Tiu Laurel explained that he was making the announcement to prevent any speculation about his impending prolonged absence from the agency’s activities.
