First Lady leads distribution of rice assistance to QC residents

June 22, 2026

First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos on Monday spearheaded a rice distribution drive in Bgy. Doña Imelda in Quezon City’s fourth district, targeting vulnerable families.

Inspired by the belief that every Filipino family deserves to have food on the table, the initiative, led by the First Lady under the Mula sa Puso Para sa Pamilya initiative, seeks to provide immediate assistance to communities across the metropolis.

“Nandito po ako bilang ina kasi alam ko, as a mother, mahalaga na magkaroon ng pagkain sa lamesa natin. Maski na po konting tulong lang ‘to, I hope it goes a long way, few days that we can help you,” the First Lady said during the event in D4 Amphitheater, Barangay Dona Imelda, as she shared a message of solidarity, compassion and hope.

Some 1,200 beneficiaries received 10 kilos of rice worth P550 under the initiative funded by the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), which was released by the Office of the President to the Quezon City government, Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

The LGSF is a national government financial program that provides direct assistance to Local Government Units (LGUs) for priority programs, infrastructure projects, and public services.

Belmonte said the OP handed P462.9 million to the Quezon City government for the rice subsidy program, which also benefits local farmers by buying their produce.

The Quezon City mayor pointed out that the city government used the Sagip Saka Act to enable it to negotiate with farmer cooperatives for local rice sourcing.

She added that a total of 210,455 families are expected to benefit from the program, roughly 25 percent of Quezon City’s total number of families.

Monday’s distribution is the second tranche of the rice distribution initiative in Quezon City, to be followed by two more to complete the total four tranches.

After distributing the second tranche in two more locations in Quezon City this week, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, who is the president of the Metro Manila Council, said a similar initiative will be conducted in other cities in Metro Manila.

The three remaining tranches for those jurisdictions will be spread out until November this year, he said. | PND