MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Sunday ordered the House policy and budget experts to conduct a study on the feasibility of making the P20-per-kilo rice program a national policy.

The study will be led by the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) under House Deputy Secretary General Dr. Romulo Emmanuel M. Miral Jr. and is expected to be completed within 60 days. It will examine the policy, fiscal, and legislative requirements to implement the program nationwide.

Romualdez said initial estimates indicate subsidizing rice at P20 per kilo for the country’s poor and near-poor population — about 44 million Filipinos consuming 20 million kilos daily — would require a subsidy of P7 per kilo, translating to roughly P51.1 billion annually.

To ensure fiscal sustainability, Romualdez proposed a four-year phase-in plan: covering the bottom 20 percent of the population in 2025 with a budget of P17 billion; expanding to the bottom 35 percent in 2026 requiring P30 billion; reaching the bottom 50 percent by 2027 with the full P51 billion needed; and focusing on system optimization in 2028.

The speaker also pointed out the existing price disparity between farmgate and retail rice prices, citing Philippine Statistics Authority data showing farmgate palay prices averaging P19.54 per kilo, while retail rice sold for P53.85 per kilo from January to March 2025.

Romualdez said the study would look beyond subsidies to address structural problems such as smuggling, hoarding, dependence on rice imports, and insufficient support for local farmers.

He added the House plans to prioritize legislative measures to institutionalize affordable rice, including creating a Rice Assistance Fund, passing a National Rice Buffer Stocking Act, expanding the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, and establishing a Logistics and Market Stabilization Fund.

The CPBRD report will guide the House during upcoming budget hearings and committee deliberations.