CLARK FREEPORT — Minimum wage earners here will now have regular access to P20perkilo rice under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Benteng Bigas program.
The Clark Development Corp. and Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) signed on May 6 a memorandum of agreement to open a rice selling site at Mangan Tamu, ensuring affordable rice for qualified workers inside the zone.
“This is the opportunity and the challenge to government, especially that we reach out. We come up with programs that will help especially those who are at bottom portion of the organizational structure,” said CDC president and CEO Atty. Agnes VST Devanadera, citing the partnership’s direct response to the everyday realities faced by workers.
FTI vice president for operations Atty. Mark Christopher Babor underscored the program’s reach. “The program is catered para iserve yung minimum wage earners, solo parents, PWDs, farmers and fisherfolks and other marginalized na miyembro ng ating community.”
Workers welcomed the move, citing relief from rising food costs. CDC maintenance worker Edgar Mesina said the program helps stretch daily wages.
“Makakatulong po siya [Benteng Bigas] dahil mura po yung bigas, nakakabudget po kami ng maayos sa arawaraw at nakakatipid po kami,” Mesina said.
Utility worker Daniel Espiritu pointed to the convenience of buying rice inside Clark. “Para po sa akin, malaking tulong na po [ang Benteng Bigas] bilang isang empleyado at minimum wage earner. Malaking bagay na po sa amin ito.”
Each qualified beneficiary may purchase up to 10 kilograms of rice per transaction, subject to monthly allocation limits. On its first day, the site supplied 5,000 kilograms of rice to eligible buyers.
The initiative builds on the gains of the Kadiwa ng Pangulo sa Clark launched in December 2025, which offered affordable rice during market days. Benteng Bigas institutionalizes access under a more structured system, allowing workers to purchase rice regularly without leaving the zone. CDC-PR
