SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro (June 2, 2025) – Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Monday led the National Food Authority’s (NFA) send-off of 35,000 bags of rice bound for Central Visayas, the second shipment under the pilot implementation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s P20 rice program—a campaign promise he aims to sustain until the end of his term in June 2028.
Secretary Tiu Laurel, who also chairs the NFA Council, was joined by NFA Administrator Larry Lacson as they conducted a final quality check before the rice was shipped to Cebu. The delivery is part of the 100,000 50-kilo sacks ordered by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia for distribution across the province. The first batch of 35,000 bags arrived three weeks ago, as Cebu and other provinces agreed to co-fund the subsidy to support affordable rice initiative.
As of May 30, NFA Occidental Mindoro branch has bought 405,219 bags, nearly double the target procurement of 228,00 bags of palay and 10 percent of the estimated harvest of 3.98 million bags. ### (Photos by Jay Morales, DA-OSEC)
