Rodriguez hits P20/kg rice rollout: Why only now?
MANILA, Philippines — “Bakit ngayon lang? (Why only now)”
This was what senatorial candidate and former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez had to say about the government’s rollout of P20-per-kilo rice, a key promise in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 2022 campaign.
The rollout began in the Visayas on May 1, while Kadiwa Centers will begin selling rice priced at P20 per kilo on May 2, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“We are continuously being duped by the current administration, offering rice at P20 per kilo,” Rodriguez said at a Labor Day rally with the Hakbang ng Maisug at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila.
“We ask: You’ve been in power for three years, why only now? Why now during the election season?” he added.
READ: Palace: Aside from Cebu, P20/kg rice rolls out at Kadiwa Centers
Rodriguez also hit the Marcos administration for social aid initiatives like the Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).
“What Filipinos need isn’t AKAP, isn’t AICS, isn’t the mere gesture of lowering rice prices to P20 per kilo simply because it’s election season,” the former executive secretary said.
“What Filipinos need isn’t to beg but to get jobs, opportunities, businesses, livelihoods, protection from criminality and the government’s fight against the return of drugs,” he added.
READ: ‘Corruption’ made me leave Malacañang, says Victor Rodriguez
Rodriguez was Marcos’ spokesperson in his bid for the presidency and became his executive secretary upon their victory, serving from June to September 2022.
Years after falling out with the president, Rodriguez launched a bid for a Senate seat in the 2025 elections, eventually being adopted into the slate of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), the party chaired by former President Rodrigo Duterte.
