MANILA — The flagship food program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!, is set to reach all 81 provinces before the year ends, bringing affordable rice to millions of Filipinos, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the ₱20-per-kilo rice program, launched in May, has rapidly expanded from an initial 136 sites in 13 provinces to 427 sites nationwide as of October.

“We are already in 81 provinces at the end of October, leaving only Tawi-Tawi as the last province where the DA has yet to plant the BBM Na! flag,” Tiu Laurel said.

“When we launched the program in May, our modest target was 136 sites in 13 provinces. Today, we have 427 sites nationwide—with two months still to go,” he added.

According to the DA, the existing sites—which also operate under the Rice-for-All program—serve about 1.2 million Filipinos, including 723,000 direct beneficiaries of the ₱20-per-kilo rice. Between May and October, beneficiaries collectively purchased 8.5 million kilos of rice.

The DA plans to open new sites in November in Aklan, Capiz, Catanduanes, Davao Oriental, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Sarangani, and Sulu, with Tawi-Tawi to follow in December.

The program targets vulnerable sectors such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, indigenous peoples, and low-income earners. It has since expanded to include farmers and fisherfolk, public transport workers, and beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Walang Gutom initiative.

Tiu Laurel said this year’s rollout serves as a preparatory phase to address logistical and supply challenges, as the DA aims to scale up distribution to reach 15 million households—or about 60 million Filipinos—by 2026.