President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s distribution of smuggled rice served as a way to warn the rice smugglers and hoarders of the administration’s stricter surveillance and confiscation of illegal rice smuggling.

According to Marcos, despite the challenges of fighting against smuggling and hoarding, the government is determined to prevent such illegal operations.

Earlier today, the President gave out the smuggled rice confiscated in the Zamboanga City warehouse to the 1,000 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) at the San Andres Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

Marcos also said in his speech that the government is committed to working on the challenges that the agricultural sector is facing right now.

He said that the Marcos administration would strengthen its efforts to curb rice smuggling and hoarding, emphasizing that he already provided a directive to enforce policies and laws related to the rice issue.