Palace: No problem with P20/kilo of rice in Visayas amid Garcia's loss in May polls

Malacañang said Wednesday that the government's programs, particularly the P20 per kilo of rice, should not be affected by the results of Eleksyon 2025.

At a press conference, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked if the government sees any problem with the implementation of the P20 per kilo of rice in the Visayas region following the loss of Gwendolyn ''Gwen'' Garcia in the 2025 Cebu gubernatorial race.

''Hindi po natin nakikita na ito ay makakaapekto dahil tandaan natin, ang serbisyo naman po sino man po ang nakaluklok diyan ay para sa taumbayan so hindi po dapat gamiitn kung nanalo o natalo ang mga kandidato,'' Castro said.

(We don't see that this will affect the program since our service, whoever is sitting there, should be for the public.)

''Ito po ay para sa taumbayan so dapat po sana ang lahat ng maaaring makatulong sa kanilang mga constituents ay maging bukas ang kanilang isip, bukas ang kanilang puso sa pagtaguyod ng mga programang ito,'' she added.

(This is for the public so whatever the measures are that will help their constituents, they should be open-minded in pushing for this program.)

Garcia, an ally of President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr., has been supportive of the P20 per kilo of rice program, which piloted in the Visayas Region. 

However, in the midterm elections, she lost to Pam Baricuatro whose primary projects include improving the healthcare system in Cebu, as she said in her campaign.

Still, Baricuatro said she is willing to work with Garcia, saying that she does not need to change the latter's projects.

The Department of Agriculture said Marcos has earmarked P4.5 billion from his contingency fund to support the pilot implementation of the program.

Marcos had directed the DA to continue the initiative until the end of his term in 2028.

The DA is also implementing the initiative in 12 Kadiwa ng Pangulo centers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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