HOUSE Speaker Martin Romuladez said that the Marcos Administration is looking to distribute rice discount vouchers that would benefit 7 million poor Filipino families next year.

According to Romualdez, under the Bagong Pilipinas Community Assistance and Rice Discount (CARD), the government is targeting to assist the indigent Filipinos buy 25 kilograms of affordable and good quality rice monthly.

It is said to be operationalized with the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS).

This will be allocated under next year’s national budget.

The House Speaker also said that the program is a boost to ensure that the technology for efficient voucher distribution, tracking, and validation, and safeguard will be utilized for any misuse. 

DSWD will be mandated to make additional rules for the program.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) had said that the prices of nearly all agricultural products remained stable ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Earlier, rice price watchdog Bantay Bigas warned of a possible increase in the price of rice, particularly the regular-milled rice which could reach up to P60 per kilo.

This is due to gaps in local supply and rising prices in the international market.