QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Launching a massive, targeted food security umbrella across Metro Manila’s low-income sectors, the Office of the President is mobilizing historic fund allocations directly to local government units. First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos led a high-profile rice distribution drive targeting approximately 1,200 vulnerable families in Quezon City.
The rollout marks the start of a weeklong caravan across the national capital region designed to provide immediate relief amid severe climate warnings and volatile staple prices.
The initial leg of the initiative took place at the D4 Amphitheater in Barangay Doña Imelda. Standing alongside local executives, the First Lady framed the assistance around a baseline maternal focus: “As a mother, it is important that there is food on our table. Even if this is just a small amount of help,” Marcos shared during the rollout.
The tactical logistics behind the distribution rely on an innovative, direct-from-farm procurement pipeline:
[ THE QUEZON CITY RICE SUBSIDY PATHWAY ]
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[ THE SAGIP SAKA ACT DEPLOYMENT ] [ THE DATA-BASED FILTER ]
• **Direct Farmer Sourcing:** Sourced in strict compliance with • **Targeting the Invisible:** Mayor Joy Belmonte clarified that
**Republic Act No. 11321 (Sagip Saka Act of 2019)**, allowing • the 1,200 initial families were selected using the PSA's
the city to buy grain directly from farming cooperatives. • **Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS)**.
• **Cutting Middlemen:** By completely bypassing traditional retail • **Zero Duplication:** The system specifically isolated poor families
wholesalers, the program maximizes profit margins for local • who are not currently receiving any other state or local government
producers while lowering the public subsidy cost. • financial aid.
The Quezon City food drive is part of the First Lady’s “Mula sa Puso Para sa Pamilya” (From the Heart for the Family) program. Far from a localized charity donation, the multi-month security blanket is powered by an unprecedented expansion within the 2026 National Budget:
[ THE RECORD-BREAKING LGSF DISTRIBUTION FLOW ] │ ▼[ Historic Funding ] ──► The 2026 budget carries the largest Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) allocation in Philippine history, topping a staggering **₱57.872 billion**. │ ▼[ FALGU Safeguards ] ──► The fund includes **₱37.492 billion** earmarked for Financial Assistance to LGUs, with exactly half legally restricted to bankroll localized nationwide rice distribution. │ ▼[ The QC Allocation ]──► The Office of the President has officially released **₱462.9 million** directly to the Quezon City treasury to fully fund its localized multi-month grain purchase mandates.
Under the program’s structural guidelines, each verified recipient family walks away with an initial 10-kilogram sack of rice valued at ₱550. To prevent temporary relief spikes from fading, the ultimate goal of the FALGU national framework is to supply the designated 10-kilo blocks for six months out of every calendar year.
Monday’s rollout represents the second of four scheduled rollout tranches inside Quezon City, with the First Lady locked in to lead matching caravans across Barangays Bagong Pag-asa and Santa Monica, before jumping city lines into Manila’s historic Tondo and Sta. Cruz districts. Metro Manila Council President and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora confirmed that identical, data-mapped direct-sourcing rice pipelines are currently clearing administrative hurdles to begin immediate parallel rollouts across all remaining 15 sister cities.