Around one million rice farmers are expected to receive a P7,000 cash assistance each under the proposed P6.7-trillion national budget for 2026, House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III announced on Monday.
Dy made the statement during a joint hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, chaired by Quezon 1st District Rep. Mark Enverga, and the Committee on Ways and Means, led by Marikina 2nd District Rep. Miro Quimbo.
“Aid is ensured for our farmers. The P7,000 cash aid will be given to them to address their losses due to low farmgate prices of palay,” Dy said.
He explained that the initiative complements Executive Order No. 93, which temporarily suspends rice importation to shield local producers from oversupply and depressed prices.
“This cash aid shows that the government is determined to aid our farmers and pursue long-term reforms,” Dy added.
The House leader also said he has asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to convert all subsidies under the Department of Agriculture, such as seed assistance, into direct cash aid to help ease the burden on farmers.
Dy noted that palay farmers in his home province of Isabela have been forced to sell their harvest for as low as P8 per kilo — barely half of the P16 to P18 per kilo needed to break even.
“If the farmers are not earning anything, then this is a threat to our food security,” Dy warned.
