In its continuing efforts to address food security in the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the distribution of premium quality rice to the beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) on Tuesday (September 26).

DSWD Undersecretary for Operations Group Monina Josefina Romualdez assisted President Marcos in distributing around a thousand sacks of rice to the 4Ps beneficiaries at the San Andres Complex in the City of Manila.

The distributed rice is part of the more than 42,000 bags of Jasmine rice confiscated by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the Port of Zamboanga (POZ), which were later donated to the DSWD for distribution to the “poorest of the poor”.

President Marcos assured the public that the smuggled rice was safe for distribution to families in need of food support.

“Ang bigas ay minabuti nating ibigay sa mga mamamayan. Dumaan ito sa tamang proseso, ng imbestigasyon, pagkumpiska at inspeksyon upang matiyak na ito ay ligtas na ipamahagi sa mga nangangailangan,” the President said in his message.

(We ensure that the rice will be given to the needy. It went through the proper process of investigation, confiscation, and inspection to ensure that it is safe to distribute to those in need.