First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday led the distribution of rice to around 1,200 families in Quezon City as part of a weeklong initiative aimed at providing assistance to poor and vulnerable communities across Metro Manila.

During the rice distribution activity held at the D4 Amphitheater in Barangay Doña Imelda, Araneta-Marcos emphasized the importance of ensuring that every family has food on their table.

“As a mother, it is important that there is food on our table. Even if this is just a small amount of help, we hope to provide support to our fellow Filipinos,” the First Lady said.

Each family received 10 kilograms of rice worth P550 under the First Lady’s “Mula sa Puso Para sa Pamilya” program.

According to Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, the initiative was funded through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) released by the Office of the President to the city.

The LGSF is a government financial assistance program that supports local government units in implementing various projects and public services.

Under the 2026 national budget, the LGSF received a record allocation of P57.872 billion.

This includes P37.492 billion for the Financial Assistance to Local Government Units (FALGU), with half of the amount allocated for the nationwide rice distribution program intended to provide 10 kilograms of rice to qualified families every month for six months.

According to Belmonte, the Office of the President released P462.9 million for Quezon City’s rice subsidy program.

The rice distributed under the initiative was sourced through the implementation of Republic Act No. 11321, or the Sagip Saka Act of 2019, which allows government agencies to directly procure agricultural products from farmers and cooperatives.