Rice Access Cards To The Metro's Poorest - by lovephileo
Next week, poorest Filipino families will have the access cards that would allow them to buy government subsidized rice. The Naional Capital Region (NCR) represents 9.5% of the 600,000 families expected to benefit from the rice passes. The cheap rice distributed by the National Food Authority (NFA) would no longer be available in public markets but only in areas designated by local governments and the Department of Social Welfare & Development (DSWD). The government will pullout from the markets the P18.25 rice and will bring them to the poor and vulnerable families. The local government units and the DSWD were ordered to conduct area mapping to ensure NFA rice goes to the poorest of the poor and also meant to prevent hoarding by the rice traders.
The pullout plan was triggered by reports that even those can afford commercial varieties that sell for more than P30 are themselves lining up in the wet markets, depleting the supply rice.
The DSWD will closely monitor the distribution to ensure that the cards are claimed by the identified beneficiaries. The rice will be made available either at the "Tindahan Natin" outlets jointly run by the DSWD and NFA or the "Bigasan Ng Parokya' which is solely administered by the NFA. There are 992 Tindahan Natin outlets in the Metropolis.
The goverment would spend P20 billion in subsidy for the entire year to make cheap rice available to the poor.
Meanwhile, the price of ordinary rice would go as high as P80 a kilo. A third of all families in Metro Manila have only P100 a day for food (an average P20 per person a day). So how can they afford rice at P60.
A group of flour millers said it would provide supply of cheap loaves and pan de sal through the governments drop off areas. Director of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers, Ric Pinca assured that the loaves would only cost P35 each or cheaper than the regular price of bread loaf. A pack of pandesal containing seven pieces could cost P12.