Benise Balaoing

Workers load sacks of rice onto a truck at the National Food Authority’s Balagtas Warehouse 3 in Bulacan on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for delivery to various Kadiwa stores in the province. The activity is part of the Department of Agriculture’s “P20 Benteng Bigas Meron Na Para sa Magsasaka” program, which aims to provide affordable rice to consumers while supporting local farmers amid rising prices of basic commodities. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

RICE WAREHOUSE

Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority will be selling P20/kilo rice in Masbate and other Opong-hit areas to help families affected by the calamity.The NFA has mobilized truckloads of rice to storm‑ravaged Masbate to alleviate the suffering of the families hit by Severe Tropical Storm Opong over the weekend.“For one month in Masbate, starting Tuesday, we will be selling P20 rice to all households—up to 30 kilos—to immediately help our fellow Filipinos who are in dire need of stable, affordable food,” Secretary Tiu Laurel announced earlier.An estimated 70,000 households were affected by Opong, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. NFA Administrator Larry Lacson confirmed that rice shipments are being ramped up in Masbate and other storm‑impacted areas. He noted that 2.4 million bags of rice are earmarked for calamity response, drawn from existing buffer stocks equivalent to 8.9 million bags.&quot;Para may pagpipilian sila at para may murang mabibili in case na ubos na yung relief nila mula sa DSWD,&quot; Lacson said.(The P20/rice will be sold so that storm-affected residents can avail once their relief are used up.)<div>DAMAGE IN WAREHOUSES</div>Lacson said some of their facilities in Masbate and Eastern Visayas sustained minor damage because of the storm.&quot;Meron tayong isang warehouse doon, medyo natanggal ang pintuan, pero wala namang na-damage ng palay don, ang ginagawa kasi ng NFA, kahit naka warehouse yan, pag paparating ang bagyo, binabalot din ng lona yan,&quot; he said.(We have one warehouse whose door was damaged. But the palay inside were not damaged since these are also being covered whenever there are storms.)&quot;Yun namang palay na tinatransfer natin from Lubang, Occidental Mindoro to Batangas, medyo nag-run aground yung barko na nagdadala kaya nag-emergency shelter, so far wala naman na-damage sa 3000 MT na dala nyang palay,&quot; he added.(The vessel shipping palay from Lubang to Batangas also ran aground, so they seeked emergency shelter, but the rice weren&#x27;t damaged.)&quot;Dun naman sa Region 8 merong konting tumulo sa ating mga warehouses pero wala namang damage sa palay. Sa Occidental Mindoro merong binaha na compound but wala namang damage sa mga stocks,&quot; Lacson said.(Our warehouses in Region 8 also had some leaks but there were no damage in palay. Some warehouses in Occidental Mindoro got flooded but the stocks were all safe.)

The Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority will be selling P20/kilo rice in Masbate and other Opong-hit areas

The Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority will be selling P20/kilo rice in Masbate and other Opong-hit areas

Agri dept, NFA to sell P20 rice in #OpongPH hit areas

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Agri dept, NFA to sell P20 rice in #OpongPH hit areas

Jervis Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 30, 2025 04:14 PM PHT

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Opong

state of calamity

P20 rice

NFA

agriculture

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