President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the government is near to fulfilling his campaign promise of bringing down the price of rice to as low as ₱20 per kilogram.
He made the remark during the launch of Kadiwa ng Pangulo in Pili, Camarines Norte.
"Makikita ninyo, halimbawa ‘yung bigas, ‘yung aking pangarap na sinabi na noong bago akong upo na sana mapababa natin ang presyo ng bigas ng ₱20. Hindi pa tayo umaabot doon, dahan-dahan palapit," Marcos said.
According to the President, the Kadiwa stores nationwide currently sell rice for ₱25 per kilo.
"Kaunti na lang, maibababa natin ‘yan," he claimed.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the media after the launch, Marcos was asked about his timetable for the implementation of the ₱20 per kilo rice.
"Ang timetable ko ay yesterday and if not, sooner. Lahat 'yan, ASAP [as soon as possible]," he said.
"I don't know, we'll see kasi minamalas din tayo sa weather eh kaya hindi mo matiyak kung ano magiging production o magiging supply," Marcos added.
The latest price monitoring of the Department of Agriculture (DA) as of March 16 showed that special local rice ranges from ₱48 to ₱60 per kilo while premium local rice ranges from ₱42 to ₱49.
Well-milled rice is currently priced at ₱38 to ₱46 and regular milled is ₱34 to ₱40.
