TANGALAN, Aklan — Nearly 2,000 of Tangalan’s poorest families have received their first round of rice assistance under the Marcos administration’s Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, but an unexpected development could expand the reach of the initiative even further.
A total of 1,904 families identified as among the poorest residents of Tangalan received the first tranche of assistance under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF)–Bawat Bayan Makikinabang program, according to the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
The municipal government allocated ₱8 million from its ₱30-million LGSF Growth Equity Fund for the rice component of the program. The remaining ₱22 million was earmarked for infrastructure projects.
But the program is doing more than putting rice on household tables.
It is also creating a direct market for local farmers, making the initiative a two-way support system for Tangalan’s poorest families and agricultural producers.
10 kilos every two months
Under the program, each qualified family is scheduled to receive 10 kilograms of rice every two months, with six targeted releases under the assistance plan.
The first distribution, however, delivered 20 kilograms per family after delays in procurement and the release of funds. Subsequent distributions were adjusted to keep the overall assistance schedule on track.
The most recent distribution was held in July, while the next release is scheduled for September, according to Tangalan officials.
The beneficiaries were identified using data from the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS).
Active Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries were excluded because they already receive regular rice assistance. Mayor Gene Fuentes also stressed that the selection was intended to be based on need rather than political considerations.
That targeting is significant because the national government has been positioning the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program as a mechanism for getting food assistance directly to vulnerable households through local governments.
In a separate April 2026 Palace briefing, the Presidential Communications Office said qualified beneficiaries under the national program are targeted to receive 10 kilograms of rice every two months, or six distributions during 2026.
The twist: savings could add 173 more families
One of the most notable developments in Tangalan is the money left over from the procurement process.
Of the municipality’s ₱8-million allocation, around ₱451,000 remains.
The local government has asked the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for approval to use those savings to include 173 additional beneficiaries.
If approved, the number of families served would increase from 1,904 to 2,077.
That means the program could potentially reach hundreds more residents without requiring an increase in the original ₱8-million allocation.
For families already struggling to stretch their budgets, even one rice distribution can free up money for other necessities such as food, transportation, schooling and household expenses.
Farmers are part of the equation
The Tangalan program also reflects a broader government push to connect food assistance with local agricultural procurement.
Rather than simply purchasing rice from outside the community, the municipality is required to procure rice locally.
Mayor Fuentes said the winning supplier, Gerry Rice, sources quality palay from local farmers, giving producers a ready market for their harvest.
This approach mirrors the government’s wider use of the Sagip Saka procurement framework, which encourages government agencies and local governments to purchase agricultural products directly from farmers and fisherfolk.
The Government Procurement Policy Board–Technical Support Office has described the approach as a way to use public procurement to support farmers, shorten supply chains and strengthen food security.
A similar model is already being implemented elsewhere.
In Aklan, the provincial government said rice under its Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program is sourced locally through Sagip Saka, with local cooperatives serving as suppliers. More than 34,000 beneficiaries across the province’s 17 municipalities are expected to receive 10 kilograms each under the provincial initiative, backed by a ₱96-million allocation.
Other local governments have adopted comparable approaches.
In Bacnotan, La Union, for example, a ₱5-million LGSF-funded rice program provides assistance to 1,400 low-income families while procuring rice from local farmers. Officials described the arrangement as beneficial to both households needing food assistance and farmers seeking a stable market.
Part of a much bigger national rollout
Tangalan’s rice distribution is part of a much broader national effort.
In July, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the second tranche of rice distribution in Camiguin, where 5,096 residents of Mambajao each received 10 kilograms of rice under the LGSF-funded program.
In Puerto Princesa City, meanwhile, 16,000 families were included in the Bagong Pilipinas Rice Program, with the city receiving ₱48 million through the LGSF.
The Palace has said the program is intended to reach vulnerable Filipino families while allowing local governments to identify beneficiaries and deliver assistance closer to communities.
The national initiative also exists alongside the Department of Agriculture’s separate “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program, which offers rice at ₱20 per kilo to qualified beneficiaries. The DA reported that the ₱20 rice program had expanded to hundreds of selling sites nationwide in 2026.
The distinction matters: Tangalan’s free-rice assistance is an LGSF-funded local implementation, while the DA’s ₱20-per-kilo initiative is a separate affordable-rice program.
What happens next?
For Tangalan’s poorest families, the immediate priority is straightforward: keep the rice assistance moving according to schedule.
But the bigger question now is whether the ₱451,000 in remaining funds will be approved for redistribution to 173 more families.
If DILG grants the request, the program would grow from its original 1,904 beneficiaries to 2,077 families—turning procurement savings into additional food assistance for some of the municipality’s most vulnerable households.
And for local farmers, the program offers another potentially lasting benefit: a government-backed market for their harvest.
In that sense, Tangalan’s rice program is not simply about distributing sacks of rice.
It is an attempt to connect food security, poverty assistance and local agricultural income in one program—putting food on the table while helping ensure that farmers have somewhere to sell what they produce.
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