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Philippines' Marcos govt handouts free rice, economists say not enough to help poor Filipinos
Despite providing cash assistance to public transportation workers, Marcos refused to suspend excise and value added taxes on petroleum products, driving inflation rates to record highs
- PUBLISHED: Thu 25 Jun 2026, 6:00 AM
Liza Marcos, wife of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, recently launched a week-long rice-giving drive to help poor Filipinos in Metro Manila, dubbing the initiative as “immediate relief” to families in need.
Government media said the First Lady’s program forms part of the administration’s food assistance for low-income households. Progressive economists, however, argued the Marcos government is not doing enough to help poor Filipinos cope with the economic impact of the Middle East conflict.
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Initially targeting 210,000 families in Quezon City, the initiative provides 10 kilograms of rice to each beneficiary. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte earlier clarified the program is funded by local government units and not by the Marcos administration. She added the rice is sourced directly from local farmer cooperatives to support domestic agriculture.
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Record-high inflation
Aside from selling rice at P20 (Dh1.25) per kilo in limited locations, and providing cash assistance to public transportation workers, President Marcos Jr. refused to suspend excise and value added taxes on petroleum products, driving inflation rates to record highs. This strategy contrasts starkly with tax reliefs implemented by neighboring countries Vietnam and Indonesia.
Inflation in the Philippines reached 6.8 per cent in May, easing from a 37-month high of 7.2 per cent in April, which had surged due to oil and supply shocks triggered by the Middle East conflict. The situation makes it harder for more Filipino families to afford rice, Asia’s staple food.
Meanwhile, basic daily wage in the Philippines substantially varies from P376 (Dh22.50) in the Muslim region in Mindanao to P658 (h39.50) in the capital. A kilo of rice, enough for a family of five’s daily consumption, is regularly priced at P58 (Dh3.50) per kilo.
Rice farmers face ruin
Among the hardest hit by the effects of the Middle East conflict in the Philippines are rice farmers. Just as they were about to begin their rice cropping season last March, inflationary effects of the war affected their production costs.
“Before the war, rice production cost per hectare was at P60,000. It has since risen to P95,000 on the average,” Union of Agricultural Workers national president Ariel Casilao told Khaleej Times on Tuesday.
Casilao said farmers were forced to buy fuel at nearly triple the price in March and April, when their use of tractors and irrigation pumps were at their peak. Predatory pricing of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, driven by impending supply shortfalls with the constriction of the Strait of Hormuz, also affected production costs.
The former lawmaker said that farmers are hoping for a good yield despite reduced production inputs to offset the price shocks caused by the Middle East war.
He added that while the Marcos government is using rice – either cheaply priced or distributed to select families – it has neglected the rice producers who face financial losses from this year’s first cropping season.