President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s rice assistance to military and uniformed personnel (MUP) will not only help officers and their families, but also the local farmers, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the DBM hailed the President’s Administrative Order (AO) No. 26, which authorizes the one-time grant of 25 kilograms of rice to all active MUPs.

The rice assistance grant, recommended to Marcos by the DBM and the Department of Agriculture (DA), aims to recognize the uniformed personnel’s contribution to the country, assist them in coping with the effects of socio-economic challenges, and provide economic opportunities for those in the agriculture sector.

Rice assistance will be distributed to authorized representatives of MUPs from December 2024 to March 2025 in designated National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses.

The rice supply needed for the program will be sourced from local and participating farmers of the Kadiwa program of the DA.

“Maganda rin po itong programa na ito dahil hindi lang military and uniformed personnel ang matutulungan kundi pati na rin ang mga local farmers natin (This program is good because we’re not only helping military and uniformed personnel but also our local farmers),” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.

AO No. 26 covers the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the Department of National Defense, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Philippine Public Safety College under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, as well as Bureau of Corrections under the Department of Justice, Philippine Coast Guard under the Department of Transportation, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The funding requirement for the grant of the rice assistance will be charged against the contingent fund of the 2024 budget. (PNA)