President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday assured that the 20 pesos per kilogram rice initiative will continue despite questions on its sustainability.

In a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur before returning to the Philippines after the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, Marcos said that he is negotiating with other countries to keep the price of rice low until the end of his term in 2028.

"We're making deals with different countries to fix the price so that it won't keep changing. Whatever happens down the road, we've already done it now. We didn't have that before. We have it now so we can make the price of rice 20 pesos," Marcos said.

While Marcos said that it was fair for some to think that the initiative was not sustainable, he clarified that the government project was not just for optics.

"Watch me sustain it... We'll talk in May of 2028 if it happens or not. We found a way to do it. We couldn't do it before because the system couldn't handle it. The rice prices were different before," Marcos added.

Marcos arrived in the Philippines early Wednesday morning and visited the National Food Authority (NFA) warehouse in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, where he emphasized during a dialogue with farmers the need for a balance between affordable rice prices and making sure that farmers are not disadvantaged by the program.

Marcos proposed a floor pricing system similar to that used in tobacco in Ilocos Norte.

"We're studying, following what we do in tobacco in Ilocos where there's a floor price. The price will never drop below the floor price. We're studying it so that no one ends up at loss," Marcos said.

The 20 pesos per kilo rice project is available in 38 Kadiwa ng Pangulo sites in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa, along with a rollout in sixteen local government units in Cebu. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS