PNA
MANILA – The inclusion of jeepney and tricycle drivers among the beneficiaries of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” (BBM Na) program is a timely and welcome relief for workers in the transport sector amid successive fuel price hikes, House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Saturday.
He said expanding the program, which provides affordable rice to priority sectors, demonstrates President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s compassion and determination to deliver essential government services to those in greatest need.
“Sa tulong ng Department of Agriculture at ng Kadiwa ng Pangulo, makakahinga na nang maluwag ang ating mga tsuper at makakapag-uwi ng mura at de-kalidad na bigas para sa kanilang mga mahal sa buhay (With the help of the DA and the Kadiwa ng Pangulo, they can now breathe a sigh of relief and bring home cheap and quality rice for their loved ones),” he said in a statement.
Romualdez noted that including jeepney and tricycle drivers in the program is vital as they are “among the most vulnerable to the constant fluctuations in fuel prices.”
He reiterated his earlier pledge to pursue measures that would institutionalize and make the BBM Na program a permanent government initiative.
He also urged the DA to further streamline the purchasing process to spare beneficiaries from long queues.
“As public servants, we must uphold the dignity of our countrymen by ensuring that government programs are easily accessible and consistently felt by the people they are meant to serve,” he said.
The “BBM Na” program for the transport sector will be launched in five pilot areas across the country on Sept. 16.
Beneficiaries endorsed by the Department of Transportation will be entitled to purchase up to 10 kg. of rice per month through 212 Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets and accredited sites in local government offices.
Currently, the lower-priced rice is available to rice farmers, fisherfolk, minimum wage earners, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, and beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Walang Gutom programs.
The DA aims to eventually cover 15 million households, or about 60 million Filipinos, under the PHP20 rice initiative. (PNA)
