CAGAYAN DE ORO — Hazel Fe Saladas, a mother from Barangay Gusa in this city, told Bulatlat that she waited outside the National Food Authority (NFA) Northern Mindanao as early as 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, to secure a slot for her to purchase P20 (US$0.34) per kilo of rice the next day.
She and her companions just spent the night outside the NFA regional office located in Barangay Tablon.
Despite hours of waiting, Saladas left at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, empty-handed. She and several others were excluded from the 500 slots that NFA accommodates daily.
She expressed her frustration. “They should not accommodate 500 persons only in a day because they have a lot of stock. We did not ask for rice; we will buy it from them,” she told Bulatlat in the vernacular.
The selling of affordable rice is part of the government’s initiative. Under the program, eligible buyers are only allowed to purchase 10 kilos per day and a maximum of 10 to 50 kilos per month depending on the type of beneficiaries, which includes senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, indigent households, fisherfolk, farmers, and jeepney and tricycle drivers.
In a report by the state-run Philippine News Agency, NFA Northern Mindanao has 280,000 sacks of rice in stock as of March 17, with a daily consumption of 34,000 sacks in line with the program.
Expensive rice products in the market pushed Saladas to endure the long hours of waiting. The P20-per-kilo of rice, she said, would be a huge help for her family of eleven.
A buyer sits at the floor using a tarpaulin while waiting outside the office of the National Food Authority Northern Mindanao in Barangay Tablon, Cagayan de Oro, on April 8, 2026, hoping they can buy P20 per kilo of rice. Photo by Franck Dick Rosete/Bulatlat
The same sentiment was shared by Linda Ochavillo, a senior citizen from Barangay Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro. She endured the heat, waiting beyond 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, hoping that an exemption would be granted.
Saladas, Ochavillo, and several others had been asking the security personnel of NFA to allow them to buy rice, but their appeal fell on deaf ears. Police personnel also told them to leave, as NFA could no longer accommodate more individuals.
Oppressive
Scenarios like these are not confined to Cagayan de Oro. A long queue, which also started in the evening outside the NFA office in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato, was reportedly spotted.
Quezon City residents, on the other hand, also expressed dismay while waiting outside the office of the Bureau of Animal Industry after the implementation of an online appointment to avail the cheaper rice. According to a GMA News report, people waiting were not aware of such a process.
Eufemia Doringo, secretary general of the urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay), criticized the said government program, saying it gives an additional burden to consumers.
“Why not make them available to all markets so that there is no extra cost and hardship for the buyers?” Doringo asked in Filipino, adding that the program will also bring disorder due to limitation and prioritization.
Farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) viewed the “affordable rice” tactic of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration as a “perfume for the masses,” since this is only confined and not enjoyed by most of the Filipinos.
It also slammed the P50 (US$0.84) per kilo price cap for imported rice, calling it a “band-aid solution.” KMP said this strengthens rice importation while abandoning local farmers and consumers.
Read: Farmer groups criticize DA’s rice importation group, call for genuine support to local producers
Rice prices by a vendor at the Carmen Public Market in Cagayan de Oro on April 8, 2026, ranging from P53 (US$0.89) to P65 (US$1.09). Photo by Franck Dick Rosete/Bulatlat
What the government needs to do, the group said, is to fortify local production, dismantle rice cartels, and junk the rice liberalization law, which makes the country highly dependent on rice importation. It added that the government should ensure fair farmgate prices and assistance to farmers.
“Until the government puts Filipino farmers and local production first, every promise of ‘cheap rice’ will remain a bad joke at the people’s expense,” Danilo Ramos, KMP chairperson, said in a statement.
When asked what they would do next, both Saladas and Ochavillo said they did not have a choice but to make another attempt. (AMU, RVO)
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