TABUK CITY, Kalinga – A total of 18 qualified micro-rice retailers in the province affected by the imposition of the rice price cap received a cash grant of PhP15,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Kalinga.
This financial assistance is funded under the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) to augment the losses incurred by rice retailers during the implementation of Executive Order 39, which mandates the sale of regular milled rice for 41 pesos and well-milled rice for 45 pesos.
Maria Cecilia Baral from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Kalinga stated that the distribution of the assistance was done in multiple batches. The first batch, consisting of 4 beneficiaries, received their aid weeks ago, while the second batch, comprising of 14 beneficiaries, received assistance on Friday.
“The eligible beneficiaries are those who adhered to the price cap when it was imposed on September 5th, and we are currently doing profiling for the next batch of qualified recipients,” she explained in vernacular.
She added that even unlicensed rice retailers and sari-sari store owners selling rice are eligible recipients, in line with the EO’s directive that the list of beneficiaries should be inclusive.
Edna Javillonar, one of the rice vendor beneficiaries from Rizal, expressed that the assistance is a significant relief for them as it helps cover their losses and ensures they have funds to purchase their next stocks of rice.
The joint monitoring team for rice price cap implementation includes members from the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture, the Philippine National Police, the city government, and other local governments. By Ruth Cupang