P153-M rice aid set to reach Zambo City’s poorest families

By Myra Cel L. Espinosa

ZAMBOANGA CITY (PIA) — Thousands of low-income families in Zamboanga City are set to receive rice assistance under programs of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., with the national government allocating P153 million worth of rice for distribution across the city’s 98 barangays.

The allocation covers 117,692 sacks of 25-kilogram rice. Of these, 80,000 sacks are already available for distribution, while more than 30,000 additional bags are expected to arrive.

The assistance comes as part of the government’s efforts to bring basic support closer to communities and help families manage everyday food expenses. 

In Zamboanga City, Mayor Khymer Olaso directed the City Social Welfare and Development Office to release 21,800 sacks of rice to 15 barangays within a seven-kilometre radius during the Handog ng Pangulo activity on September 14.

The remaining rice allocation will be distributed among the city’s 83 other barangays within the next 10 days. To promote fairness and orderly distribution and determine the sequence of release, the 83 barangays were included in a raffle draw supervised by the  City Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff Celso Lobregat.

The City Mayor’s Office will coordinate with the concerned barangays regarding their respective schedules for the release.

Olaso expressed appreciation for the national government’s support, stressing that the rice assistance is intended to benefit Zamboanga City residents.

“Este arroz no es ordinario, buena clase este. Poreso pidi kita gracias na Presidente. Maraming salamat sa ating mahal na Pangulo at hindi niya nakalimutan ang Zamboanga City.”

(This rice is not ordinary; it is good-quality rice. That is why we are grateful to the President. Thank you so much to our beloved President for not forgetting Zamboanga City)

He also underscored that assistance from the national government ultimately goes to the people who contribute to government through taxes.

The rice distribution forms part of the broader government effort to make assistance more accessible to communities. For Zamboanga City, the continuing distribution means more households across its 98 barangays will have access to rice assistance in the coming days, bringing national government support closer to families who need it most. (MLE/PIA Region 9-Zamboanga City)

TAGS: handog ng pangulo, rice, assistance, families, Zamboanga, PBBM

CAPTION: Barangay Guiwan in Zamboanga City starts distributing 25-kilogram rice to their residents starting September 14, 2025. (Photo by: Agnes Sanson Natividad-BION)