Malacañang on Friday urged the public to stay vigilant against fake news circulating online about the P20 per kilo rice project set to roll out in the Visayas.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro addressed a viral video showing allegedly poor-quality rice being sold for P20. She clarified that the program has not yet begun, warning, “Mag-ingat po ang mga Pilipino dahil ang ibibenta po na bigas ay iyong sa mga authorized outlets. Mag-ingat po tayo sa fake news peddlers, sinisira ang proyekto, sinisira ang Pangulo, sinisira ang hope, ang pag-asa ng bawat Pilipino.”
Castro stressed that no rice under the project is available yet, countering criticisms already circulating online. “Hindi pa po nasisimulan ang paglabas ng bigas na ibibenta sa market at sa Kadiwa patungkol po dito sa proyektong ito. Hindi pa nga nakikita, wala pang nakikitang bigas na ibibenta, pinipintasan na, pinipintasan na na panghayop,” she added.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. expressed disappointment over Vice President Sara Duterte’s earlier remarks, where she compared the rice to animal feed. “With all due respect to the Vice President, the Department of Agriculture (DA) family is deeply hurt by her suggestion that NFA rice to be sold is ‘hindi pang tao, pang hayop’,” Tiu-Laurel said.
He assured the public that the rice to be sold is of good quality, saying, “We are fully committed to delivering quality rice to our people. At the DA, we cook and eat NFA rice everyday. We can personally vouch for its quality and safety.”
