Palace warns public on fake news vs. P20/kilo of rice

Malacañang on Friday warned the public to be vigilant against fake news about the P20 per kilo of rice that will be implemented in the Visayas region.

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro showed a viral video supposedly showing poor quality of rice being sold for P20.

''Mag-ingat po ang mga Pilipino dahil ang ibibenta po na bigas ay iyong sa mga authorized outlets. Mag-ingat po tayo sa fake news peddlers, sinisira ang proyekto, sinisira ang Pangulo, sinisira ang hope, ang pag-asa ng bawat Pilipino,"

Castro further said the selling of the P20 per kilo of rice has not started yet. 

''Hindi pa po nasisimulan ang paglabas ng bigas na ibibenta sa market at sa Kadiwa patungkol po dito sa proyektong ito. Hindi pa nga nakikita, wala pang nakikitang bigas na ibibenta, pinipintasan na, pinipintasan na na panghayop," Castro added.

'Deeply hurt'

She also said that Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. was dismayed over the remarks of Vice President Sara Duterte about the rice, saying that it is used to feed pigs. 

“With all due respect to the Vice President, the Department of Agriculture (DA) family is deeply hurt by her suggestion that NFA rice to be sold is ‘hindi pang tao, pang hayop’,” Tiu-Laurel said in a statement.

“We are fully committed to delivering quality rice to our people. At the DA, we cook and eat NFA rice everyday. We can personally vouch for its quality and safety,” he added.

Laurel on Wednesday announced the sale of rice at P20 per kilo, which will be piloted in Visayas. He said President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. wants it to be implemented across the country in the long run.

Vice President Duterte, however, called the plan as an election promise that’s now “too little, too late.”