Considered Aspects: Factors of the Immense HIV Cases in the Philippines

By:  Sebastian Beau Pamintuan, Jan Mathieu Tagorio, Nona Mejia, Irish Trisha Zape, Eian Gabrielle Zingapan

Paddling along the streets should not be a battle for survival as every ride through Metro Manila felt like a battle. Cyclists like Miguel suffer from the harsh realities of road discrimination, hazards, and overlooked bike lane laws. Having bike lanes alone wasn’t enough, as more cyclists remained vulnerable on the road. The struggle for safety and equality became an urgent concern many cyclists couldn’t ignore.

The Rice-for-All Program is a follow-up initiative to the successful launch of "Program 29," a project led by the former Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in July 2024, allocating approximately ₱5 billion for the implementation. Presently, the current Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary, Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. plans to market the new rice options called “Nutri” and “Sulit” Rice to Filipino consumers. In the same year, the Rice-for-All Program offered well-milled rice to the public at ₱45 per kilogram and was previously priced at ₱40 per kilogram, obtained from rice importers and local traders (Cordero, 2025). However, this does not guarantee the program’s efficiency towards the goal of resolving malnutrition. The provision of low-quality food products is not a solution for the price increase of rice but rather an unfair exchange of hard-earned money for poor-quality products. 

Fundamentally, the implementation of the Sulit and Nutri Rice project aims to help more Filipino consumers cope with the impact of high food prices. The project provides a cheaper alternative that significantly influences inflation and, consequently, interest rates. With the prevalence of economically disadvantaged households in the Philippines, dropping the price down to ₱36 per kilogram for 100% broken but white rice is the DA’s proposed solution to combat the “unreasonably high” rice prices and ensure equitable accessibility for consumers. 

Given the persistent cyclones and unstable weather conditions experienced in the country, numerous areas in the Philippines suffer when severe rainy and drought seasons hit, resulting in environmental hazards and economic impacts. Consistent heavy rains and floods economically impact farmers as their crops rot and harvest decreases due to damage. Similarly, farmers’ income is also affected during the dry seasons due to the lack of rainfall and hydration needed for crops, along with the exposure to the intense heat index. Factors like these increase the price of staples during La Niña and El Niño seasons due to the damage impacted by intense weather conditions, leading to a lack of supply to accommodate the demands of the consumers.

Through the implementation of Sulit rice, the government prepares and preserves stocks to avoid price increases due to shortages caused by natural disasters. Taking this into account, the Rice-For-All project aims to provide affordable staples that will benefit those vulnerable to La Niña and El Niño seasons as they fight to deal with the aftermaths of natural disasters. 

Starting January 17, 2025, the 25% broken rice of the Rice-For-All Program was launched at a reduced price of ₱38 per kilogram in public markets and Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) stores nationwide (Sevillano, 2025). The selling of one-passed milled rice as compared to the standard three-pass milled rice in the market has resulted in its more affordable price for consumers. Consequently, the program sets a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of ₱58 per kilogram for 5% broken imported rice and if the global prices remain stable there will be a further reduction in the MSRP by February of the same year (Angeles, 2025). Both initiatives have been posed as a solution to the current height of prices for rice in the past years until the recent term of the Marcos administration. Further broadening of beneficiaries of the affordable rice program leads to the introduction of two new classifications of rice alongside the NFA rice, namely Sulit Rice and Nutri Rice. With NFA rice available for purchase for members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) limited to 10 kilograms each family per month, whereas Sulit Rice and Nutri Rice propose availability for all consumers with a limit of 25 kilograms of rice per customer per day (DA-AFID, 2024). 

The National Food Authority (NFA) has implemented a program offering affordable rice, known as “NFA Rice,” priced at around ₱38 per kilogram, with 100% of the rice sourced locally (Gutierrez, 2024). NFA Rice is known for its tough texture, light yellow color, and slightly foul odor, which distinguishes it from other rice varieties (Paz, 2024). Currently, the DA implements the Rice-for-All program, providing consumers access to additional affordable rice alternatives, including “Sulit” and “Nutri” rice. Sulit rice, priced at ₱36 per kilogram, consists of 100% broken white rice and is characterized by its softer and more delicate texture due to its fully broken grains. The color ranges from white to off-white, and when cooked, it emits a mild and neutral aroma similar to regular white rice. In contrast, Nutri Rice is priced at ₱38 per kilogram and is made from 100% broken brown rice (Department of Agriculture, 2025). The Nutri rice offers a slightly chewy and firmer texture as it includes brown rice. The color varies from yellowish to light brown. When cooked, Nutri Rice releases a subtle nutty aroma. Sulit and Nutri rice are staples that incorporate a mix of imported and locally sourced rice, often having a mushy consistency, lower shelf life, and are more susceptible to potential contaminants (Laurel, 2024). 

The Department of Agriculture’s Rice-for-All Program purpose proves to be one of the alternative solutions created by the government to find an answer to the longing problem of food shortage and financial stability in the Philippines. As the country consumed a total of 16.5 million metric tons of rice in 2024, this proves that perishable goods such as rice are a significant factor in every household (Leyco, 2024). Furthermore, with the 30% poverty rate among farmers, the country has faced similar problems which were attempted to solve by the government with previous initiatives such as the NFA rice program (Mapa, 2023). In contrast to the NFA's purpose to lift local farmers, the Rice-for-All Program aims to relate more to the consumers' overall capability to purchase rice to decrease food scarcity in the country. 

Given this program possesses benefits that solve one of the country's current issues, potential drawbacks still arise due to the uncertainty of this initiative. Incorporating this program into the industrial sector leads to a possible abuse of resources due to its inexpensive price leading to the similarity of the aforementioned NFA rice program, wherein businessmen often hoard them to achieve a marketable retail price for the consumers which puts a huge setback to the purpose of this initiative (Piñol, 2018). In return, market retailers constantly had to decrease their prices to maintain a stable income for both farmers and entrepreneurs, showing the concept of mistreatment and abuse of power between the industry and agricultural sectors. Moreover, adapting to the supply of imported well-milled rice, local farmers are constantly losing sales impacting their personal lives and their ability to sustain their needs for their families which proves that this initiative is not as great as the government thought. With an additional budget allocation of ₱5 billion signed by the current President, Ferdinand Marcos, (DA Press Office, 2024) the government has put people into question regarding the similarity of this program to the NFA rice program. An initiative where rice scraps are a vital component does not require a large budget that covers a quarter of the department’s overall finances on rice programs (Fao.org, 2019). 

The typical retail rice undergoes a three-pass milling process, containing less minerals, nutrients, and fiber. Despite the health benefits, Nutri Rice has drawbacks related to its milling process and manufacturing. One-pass milling results in a shorter shelf-life due to the retention of the bran layer, which contains oils leading to rancidity (Fitzgerald et al., 2023). Overstocking in production poses challenges, such as NFA warehouse congestion and the need to reduce rice buffer stocks. The stocks, released during food security emergencies, risk rotting if not promptly sold due to the shortened shelf-life of Nutri Rice and Sulit Rice, preventing long-term storage and potentially leading to waste (Francisco, 2024). 

Integrating these factors into the qualification of rice, in general, has put society in question concerning the level of treatment they acquire from the government. Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) labeled the program as a “trial-and-error” scheme and a “gimmick” by DA to sell cheap and substandard rice to the public (De Villa, 2025). Other than being labeled as an inhumane treatment, for the production side of this initiative, farmers continue to grapple with high production costs but with low farmgate prices, and exploitative practices from traders and middlemen. Farmer groups describe some of these underlying problems as an attempt to conceal the deeper issue of rice supply in the country where the real opportunity for farmers is for the government to invest in local rice production resulting in a gross increase in the agricultural sector of the country. Rice-for-All program is known to uplift consumers and local farmers in the country; despite these drawbacks, it cannot be denied that there are more issues to address and to improve rather than its benefits to the overall stability of Filipino people.

REFERENCE LIST

An Act Liberalizing the Importation, Exportation, and Trading of Rice, Lifting for the Purpose the Quantitative Import Restriction on Rice, and for Other Purposes,

Republic Act No. 11203, §13, (February 4, 2019) (Phil), https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2019/02/14/republic-act-no-11203/ 

Angeles, V. (2025, January 16). DA lowers RFA25 prices to P38/kilo. Daily Tribune. https://tribune.net.ph/2025/01/16/da-lowers-rfa25-prices-to-p38kilo 

Cariaso, B. (2025, January 19). Explain warehouse congestion, NFA urged. The Philippine Star. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/01/20/2415461 

Cordero, T. (2025, January 2). DA to further reduce “Rice-for-All” selling price to P38-P39/kilo. GMA Network. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/931622/da-to-further-lower -rice-for-all-selling-price-to-p38-p39-kilo/story 

DA-AFID. (2024a, July 4). DA to launch large-scale “P29” project trial on July 5 in Metro Manila, Bulacan. GOVPH. 

https://www.da.gov.ph/da-to-launch-large-scale-p29-project-trial-on-july-5-in-metro manila-bulacan 

DA-AFID. (2024b, August 5). Launch of Rice-for-All program. GOVPH. https://www.da.gov.ph/gallery/launch-of-rice-for-all-program-august-1-2024

DA, magbebenta ng mas mura pang bigas na “Sulit” at “Nutri” rice sa presyong P35-38/kilo.. (2025, January 2). Balitambayan. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/balitambayan/balita/931651/da-magbebenta-ng-mas-murapang-bigas-na-sulit-rice-at-nutri-rice-sa-presyong-

p35-38-kilo/story

DA Press Office. (2024, December 4). Kadiwa Rice-for-All rolled-out to major public markets in NCR. GOVPH. 

https://www.da.gov.ph/kadiwa-rice-for-all-rolled-out-to-major-public-markets-in-ncr

DA Press Office. (2025, January 16). DA expands rice distribution network to counter unreasonable prices. GOVPH. 

https://www.da.gov.ph/da-expands-rice-distribution-network-to-counter-unreasonablePrices 

De Villa, K. (2025, January 4). Farmers slam DA “gimmicks” on rice as swindling scheme. Inquirer. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2021255 

Fitzgerald, M., Gorji, S. G., & Najamuddin, U. (2023). Effect of post-milling process on the oxidation of the rice bran. Journal of Cereal Science,111, 103678. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2023.103678 

Francisco, A. (2024, December 17). NFA fears 6M bags of rice at risk of rotting. Brigada News Philippines. 

https://www.brigadanews.ph/nfa-fears-6m-sacks-of-rice-at-risk-of-rotting/ Gita-Carlos, R. A. (2024, December 7).

DA to offer “Sulit, Nutri” rice at P36-P38 per kg. Philippine News Agency. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1239486 

Gutierrez, P. (2024, October 3). Price of NFA rice to increase to P38 per kilo from P25. ABS-CBN. 

https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/10/3/price-of-nfa-rice-to-increase-to-p38- per-kilo-from-p25-1559

Leyco, C. S. (2024, February 10). USDA: Filipinos’ rice consumption expected to rise anew. Manila Bulletin. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/9/usda-filipinos-rice-consumption-expected-to-rise-anew Manahan, J. (2025, January 3).

“Sulit” and “Nutri” rice to be available starting second week of January, says DA. ABS-CBN News. 

https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/1/3/-sulit-and-nutri-rice-to-be-sold starting-2nd-week-of-january-agri-dept-1739 

National Food Authority. (n.d.). Core functions. GOVPH. https://nfa.gov.ph/transparency/core-functions 

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2023, March 24). Fisherfolks and farmers remain to have the highest poverty incidences among the basic sectors in 2021. 

https://psa.gov.ph/content/fisherfolks-and-farmers-remain-have-highest-poverty incidences-among-basic-sectors-2021 

Patinio, F. (2023, June 8). NFA probes distribution of ‘inedible’ rice to N. Ecija teachers. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1203112 

Paz, G. G. (2024, May 14). NFA rice (responsive initiatives for confidence enhancement) in the marginalized sector. International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i03.20041 

Piñol, E. (2018, September 1). DA, NFA launch campaign vs. rice hoarders. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1046678 

Sevillano, S. (2024, December 18). DA to launch cheaper, healthier rice. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1240216 

Sevillano, S. (2025, January 22). DA: Kadiwa ng Pangulo Rice for All to be available in NCR supermarkets. Philippine News Agency.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1242374