MANILA – The government will mark President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 68th birthday on Saturday, September 13, with a one-day nationwide sale of P20 per kilo rice through his flagship food security initiative, “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” (BBM Na!).

Dubbed “Handog ng Pangulo,” the program will make affordable rice available to all Filipinos—not just vulnerable sectors—across 100 KADIWA ng Pangulo sites nationwide. All outlets will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with buyers required to present a valid ID.

“This is President Marcos’ birthday gift to the Filipino people,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) estimates that the special rollout will reach 88,000 households, or about 352,000 Filipinos.

Officials said the event will also serve as a logistical test for a broader national expansion of BBM Na!, which Marcos aims to extend to 15 million households—or around 60 million Filipinos—by 2025, with a commitment to sustain the program until 2028.

Initially targeted at solo parents, seniors, persons with disabilities, and indigent families, the program has since expanded to cover minimum wage earners, farmers, and fisherfolk. Starting next week, it will also include public transport workers, Department of Education teaching and non-teaching staff, and beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Walang Gutom program.

To mark the occasion, the DA will also distribute assistance such as farm machinery and inputs to farmers and fisherfolk in several regions. Secretary Tiu Laurel will personally oversee activities in Koronadal, South Cotabato.