Soldiers, cops to get rice subsidy

MANILA, Philippines – Soldiers, policemen, jail guards and firemen will finally get a regular monthly rice subsidy starting this month.       

Congress has included funds for the subsidy in the P3.35-trillion 2017 national budget, which President Duterte signed Thursday last week.

Under special provisions in the appropriations of concerned agencies of the Department of National Defense (DND) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the rice incentive “shall be given in the form of cash allowance equivalent to 20 kilos per month.”

The provisions ban the distribution of “rice, rice voucher and/or its equivalent.”

Lawmakers imposed the ban apparently to avoid corruption in the procurement of rice or rice vouchers.

The rice allowance is chargeable against the agencies’ maintenance and other operating funds.

It is not clear who would determine the exact amount of the allowance or whether a uniform amount for all the intended beneficiaries would be given as the special provisions did not say so.