Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria and Executive Secretary Ralph Recto lead the distribution of free 10 kilos of rice to 1,776 beneficiaries in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental on Friday (Aug. 14, 2026). The distribution is part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s Bawat Bayan Makikinabang program. (PNA photo by Judy Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY – A total of 1,776 residents from various barangays in Dumaguete City received 10 kilos of free rice each from the national government on Friday.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria led the distribution at the Tinago Gymnasium, with assistance from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and its city counterpart.
The distribution is part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Bawat Bayan Makikinabang program, with the rice assistance funded through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).
Recto said Friday’s distribution was the first in a series of rice assistance activities to be implemented under the program in this capital.
The LGSF-funded rice distribution provides food assistance to qualified low-income households, with beneficiaries set to receive 10 kilos of rice every two months, or six cycles per year, to help them cope with rising food costs.
Sagarbarria thanked Marcos for allocating funds for the rice assistance, noting that the President had made efforts to secure resources to finance the program.
“He really is looking out for us. He took the time and effort to find where these funds can be taken from, such as from other agencies, and put them together for the free rice program,” Sagarbarria said.
He said the assistance was also in response to the provincial government’s request for national government support amid rising prices of commodities, fuel, and other necessities.
One of the beneficiaries, Gladys Acibo, a solo parent from Barangay Poblacion 1, said the 10 kilos of rice would help her save money that she could instead use for her child’s transportation expenses.
Acibo expressed her gratitude to Marcos for the assistance, saying the rice would help ease her family’s daily expenses.
The government plans to continue rice distribution to qualified beneficiaries as part of efforts to provide food assistance to low-income households. (PNA)