CABANATUAN CITY – A total of 139 small rice retailers received on Tuesday P15,000 each as subsidy for losses they incurred with the imposition of price cap in regular and well-milled rice.
Dr. Richard Simangan, provincial director of the Department of Trade Industry, said the 139 initial beneficiaries comprised only the first batch of potential 2,000 retailers from 27 towns and five cities of Nueva Ecija per data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Pursuant to Executive Order 39 which provides for the temporary rice price cap, the DTI is working with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior and Local Government including local government units, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, PNP and other agencies as support units, according to Simangan.
The expertise of the National Food Authority was also availed of in classifying grains as the law provides that only micro retailers who sell regular and well-milled rice shall be entitled to the subsidy.
Simangan clarified that their offices continue to verify potential beneficiaries throughout the province based on the PSA data and records of registered rice retailers in various LGUs.
“Titingnan natin, alin doon ang existing at operational pa,” he explained.
The government also considered for assistance unregistered retailers but validated to be actually selling the staple in the public markets.
In the course of validation, Simangan said, it was found that retailers in the province have readily followed EO 39.
“Yung iba sinabi sa atin na wala silang magawa kundi sumunod sa EO natin, maliliit ito na mga rice retailers so ayaw naman nila na magmulta o makulong,” Simangan said. “Dun sa mga nakausap natin, mababait naman sila at makikita natin sa maraming panig ng bansa sumusunod sila.”
The initial recipients who came from 15 municipalities, including this city, were jointly validated by the DTI and DSWD, he added.
Andy Osias, president of rice retailers from Gabaldon town, expressed thanks for the subsidy saying they were really hurt by the price cap since they bought the grains at the minimum price of P50 a kilo of well-milled from far San Jose City.
The EO sets the price at P41 a kilo for regular milled and P45 a kilo for well milled rice.
