By Rachel Magday
NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines —The provincial government of Nueva Vizcaya will roll out an ₱80-million rice assistance program within this quarter, providing a total of 60 kilograms of free rice to each of 30,000 vulnerable households across the province.
The initiative, dubbed “Bagas ti Umili: Rice Support for Families,” will be implemented under the administration of Gov. Jose V. Gambito through funding from the Office of the President via the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Local Government Support Fund–Financial Assistance to Local Government Units (LGSF-FALGU).
Provincial Social Welfare and Development (PSWD) Officer Flordelina C. Granada, the program’s focal person, said the beneficiaries account for about 25 percent of the province’s vulnerable population.Qualified recipients include senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), solo parents, beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and low-income workers.
Each qualified household will receive a total of 60 kilograms of rice, to be distributed in staggered batches.
Earlier, Gov. Gambito personally received the ₱80-million grant from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during an awarding ceremony at Malacañang.
In addition to the free rice assistance, the provincial government has earmarked ₱13 million from its own funds to implement a localized version of the Marcos administration’s subsidized rice program.
Dubbed “Bagas ti Umili: The People’s ₱20 Rice Project,” the initiative will deploy mobile rice outlets in barangays across Nueva Vizcaya, enabling qualified residents to purchase rice at ₱20 per kilogram.
The Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office, headed by Juditte L. Asuncion, will oversee the implementation and operations of the subsidized rice program.
Rice stocks will be sourced through Food Terminal Inc. and sold to eligible beneficiaries, including households with malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women, and families affected by disasters.
To ensure the program’s sustainability, the provincial government will adopt a revolving fund scheme, using proceeds from rice sales to replenish stocks and expand distribution to additional barangays.
