ILIGAN City — More Iligan residents can now buy rice for just ₱20 a kilo as the city government brings its “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” program directly to barangays.

The barangay rollout is the second phase of the program after its initial launch at the City Public Plaza in April, giving vulnerable sectors access to cheaper rice without traveling far from home.

For the latest batch, the city will distribute 500 sacks, each containing 50 kilos.

City Agriculturist’s Office Chief Marie Ann J. Beley said the program prioritizes residents who need affordable food, including senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities (PWDs), indigent households and 4Ps beneficiaries, rice farmers and workers, fisherfolk, jeepney and tricycle drivers, and minimum wage earners.

“We are giving our residents in Iligan City the opportunity to avail themselves of rice at only ₱20 per kilo,” Beley said.

Rice comes closer to residents

To reach all 44 barangays, the City Agriculturist’s Office divided them into 12 clusters, with each cluster grouping two to five neighboring barangays.

The first cluster selected through a draw-lots system was Cluster 7, covering Dulag, Lanipao, Kalilangan, Mandulog and Panoroganan. Its selling activity was held on August 14 at the Barangay Mandulog Gymnasium.

The arrangement allows residents to buy the affordable rice within or near their communities while helping the city manage distribution more systematically.

The rice is supplied through the National Food Authority (NFA), with Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI) facilitating the program. The stocks come from local farmers in Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental and are stored and milled at the NFA warehouse in Baraas, Tubod, Iligan City.

Beley said the City Agriculturist’s Office inspected the stocks at the NFA warehouse to check their quality before distribution.

She acknowledged that the rice may look different from imported varieties, particularly in whiteness, but said the city had checked its quality before the selling activities.

Savings help families stretch budgets

For residents like Sarah S. Tinoy of Barangay Mandulog, the cheaper rice means more room in the family budget.

Tinoy has nine children, with two married children still living with her. Her household has more than 10 members and consumes about five kilos of rice a day.

She said buying rice at ₱20 per kilo allows the family to save money for viand, school allowances and other daily needs.

Another beneficiary, Valentina Aligno, also from Mandulog, said the program helps ease expenses for her family of six, which consumes about 2.5 kilos of rice daily.

Aligno earns income by gathering firewood and making and selling brooms. She said the savings from cheaper rice can be used for her children's school needs and other household expenses.

More barangays next

The city government said the rollout will continue across the remaining clusters in coordination with barangay councils.

The City Agriculturist’s Office reminded residents that participation is voluntary and that purchases are made on a “buy at your own risk” basis.

For families struggling to stretch their food budgets, the city hopes bringing the program closer to their neighborhoods will make the ₱20 rice more accessible to those who need it most.