Interior Secretary Benjamin 'Benhur' Abalos Jr. and other government officials conducted an inspection and monitoring of rice prices in the local markets in Quezon City on Tuesday, September 5, the first day of the rice price ceiling implementation.
Abalos was joined by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Romando 'Don' Artes, Department of Trade and Industry Philippines (DTI) Asec. Agaton Uvero, San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte.
In an interview with the media, the Interior Secretary encouraged retailers to still sell regular and well-milled rice to consumers despite the imposed price cap.
"Please lang po, magtulungan tayong lahat. Sinabi naman ng ating Pangulo, 'yung lugi po ninyo, tutulong naman ang aitng pamahalaan dito. And of course, ang ating mga local government, kamukha ng pag-waive ng mga upa nila. All small ways. Tutulong lahat. Ito ay tulungan ng bawat isa," he said.
Abalos said no violators will be penalized since it is the first day of the implementation of the price cap.
"Sinisita sila. May information drive kami, gaanon tayo kaluwang muna. Makiisa tayo, please naman. Pero sa susunod na araw, magiging istrikto tayo," he added.
The Interior Secretary assured that all the concerns of the retailers will be addressed and that the government is working to provide financial assistance to them.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. has already directed the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Agriculture (DA) to list the rice retailers associations across the country.
The list would be the basis of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the distribution of financial aid.
Last Friday, September 1, Marcos issued Executive Order (EO) No. 39 setting the price of regular milled rice at ₱41 per kilo and well-milled rice at ₱45 per kilo.
