The government has laid out other assistance in partnership with the local government units (LGUs) for rice retailers affected by Executive No. 39 or the price ceiling, in addition to the one-time cash assistance of P15,000.

According to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Agaton Uvero, some local governments have given free one-month rent in public markets to rice retailers.

At the same time, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and LGUS are coordinating with the logistics support in delivering the rice to reduce the cost of rice from the warehouse to the resellers.

Uvero said that the DTI is also preparing interest-free loans for small businesses affected by the price cap.

The DTI official reiterated that the implementation of the price ceiling is only temporary because as soon as the price on the market is stable, the executive will be withdrawn.

He added that order is expected to be short-lived as the harvest season is about to begin.