Cebu City Launches P20 Rice Program
3 min read
APRIL 27,2025
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu is making history.
Starting Monday, April 28, local government units (LGUs) in Cebu will begin selling rice at ₱20 per kilo, days before the official Visayas-wide rollout on May 1.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced the early launch during a meeting with Cebu’s mayors, streamed live via Sugbo News. Over 20,000 bags of rice are already in storage, ready for distribution based on the number of qualified beneficiaries per LGU.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and LGUs are driving this initiative. It fulfills President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s promise to lower rice prices and support Filipino families. In Cebu, distribution will happen through Sugbo Merkadong Barato (SMB) outlets, an existing network that provides affordable goods.
RELATED STORY: Rice P20 Program Draws Criticism from VP Sara, Palace Hits Back
Cebu City-Who Will Get the ₱20 Rice?
The program’s first beneficiaries include:
- Barangay health workers
- Daycare workers
- Barangay tanods (village security officers)
- Public school teachers
- Government employees
- Farmers and fisherfolk
About 300,000 people will benefit initially. Each recipient can buy up to 10 kilograms of rice per week. To meet the demand, Cebu needs around 60,000 sacks weekly or 240,000 sacks monthly.
For the first week, payments will be in cash. Next week, beneficiaries will shift to a QR-coded card system for faster and safer transactions. The government will issue new cards in the coming days to reach more people.
Who Pays the Subsidy?
Cebu’s provincial government will cover the cost difference until the end of 2025. Starting in 2026, the national government will fully subsidize the program.
“This isn’t even part of our current budget. I appeal to governors to help for now, but by next year, the national government will take over. This program will run until 2028,” Garcia said in Cebuano.
Cebu City-How the Program Started
The idea grew from Cebu’s Sugbo Merkadong Barato (SMB), which launched in late 2023. Supply issues slowed the original project. But after a lunch meeting between Governor Garcia and President Marcos on April 11, the plan moved to the national stage.
On April 23, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. officially launched the program during a press conference at the Cebu Capitol. The meeting included President Marcos and 12 governors from the Visayas region.
The government buys rice at ₱33 per kilo and sells it at ₱20. The DA and LGUs share the ₱13 per kilo subsidy.
Secretary Laurel explained that Cebu and Iloilo were ideal for the pilot run because of strong local demand and steady rice supply. He also said the program would help clear overflowing rice stocks in government warehouses.
Lower global rice and fuel prices made it possible to launch this major subsidy now.
What’s Next?
The program was originally planned to run until December 2025. But with President Marcos’ directive, it will continue until 2028.
Governors across the Visayas praised the initiative. Siquijor Governor Jake Vincent Villa called it a “timely intervention” to fight inflation. Leyte Governor Jericho Petilla confirmed a nationwide expansion in 2026.
Governor Garcia emphasized that a small Cebu initiative is now becoming a national movement to support millions of Filipino families. NOWTREND
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