The city government here will continue selling commercial rice worth PHP25 per kilo to residents.

Each family can avail of up to four kilos of packed rice to accommodate more recipients.

In an interview Monday, Mayor Jose Paolo Evangelista said the program will reach low-income families and vulnerable sectors amid the unpredictable prices of food commodities.

“We will continue this program, and it will be barangay-based,” Evangelista said, adding that the marginalized sector will be prioritized.

The selling of rice is scheduled together with other services from the different departments of the city government, national line agencies, and utilities.

Last year, some 30,539 residents bought four-kilo packs in 40 villages, corresponding to 134,843 kilos of commercial rice.

Meanwhile, the city has allocated PHP15 million to support food security programs, including crop production, fruit, vegetable, and inland fisheries, as well as marketing under buy-back initiatives, agri-tourism, and digital agriculture.

Currently, this city is the only local government in North Cotabato that continually sells commercial rice at PHP25 per kilo. (PNA)