Visayan governors look to Gwen Garcia’s SMB for ₱20 rice program rollout

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s Sugbo Merkado Barato (SMB) program, which provides ₱20-per-kilo rice, is now being used as a reference by some provinces across the Visayas as they prepare for the implementation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s campaign promise to provide affordable rice.

The Department of Agriculture’s ₱20 rice program is set to begin rolling out in the Visayas next week. Governor Garcia’s SMB program, which has been running successfully in Cebu since October 2023, will serve as the model for neighboring provinces as they prepare to launch similar initiatives.

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At a meeting with the governors of Regions 6, 7, and 8 on April 23, 2025, President Marcos discussed the ₱20 rice program, and how it will be implemented in the region.

The Visayan governors acknowledged the success of Cebu’s SMB model, and many expressed that they are fortunate to have a proven template to follow.

Template for other provinces

Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores said, “We’re lucky to have a template from Cebu. We will just adapt it to our own province.”

Siquijor Governor Jake Vincent Villa also noted that while Siquijor is smaller than Cebu, they plan to prioritize frontline workers and aim to cover 80% of their households, following Cebu’s example.

The ₱20 rice program will see provinces purchasing rice from the Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI) at ₱33 per kiloand selling it to locals at ₱20 per kilo, with the ₱13 difference being subsidized equally by the national government and the provinces.

Governor Garcia’s SMB program has already proven to be an effective solution in Cebu for making rice affordable to low-income communities. Now, as President Marcos begins rolling out his ₱20 rice promise, other provinces are preparing to adopt Cebu’s SMB model to deliver the same benefit to their residents.