Regular-milled and well-milled rice sold at the Interim Building of Carbon Public Market. | CDN File photo by Niña Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Qualified rice retailers in Central Visayas will receive cash assistance on September 14, Wednesday.
The cash assistance was allotted to the affected rice retailers following the implementation of the Executive Order (EO) 39 of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, September 5, to set the price ceiling of regular-milled rice at P41 per kilo and well-milled rice at P45 per kilo.
Ines Cajegas, chief trade industry development specialist of the Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Cebu Province, identified the three locations for the first payout.
The rice retailers will receive cash assistance from the government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) who would distribute the funds.
READ: Incentives for Mandaue’s rice retailers eyed
Payout venues
READ: Incentives for Mandaue’s rice retailers eyed
In Cebu, the locations for the distribution are in Carbon Public Market, Minglanilla Public Market, and Consolacion Public Market.
Moreover, for Negros Oriental, it will be in Dumaguete Public Market; in Bohol, it is Tagbilaran City Central Public Market, and in Siquijor, Siquijor Public Market.
Cajegas noted that these venues might change since DSWD had yet to finalize it.
“In Cebu, September 14 is our grand day, pioneer nga pagpayout (pioneer for the payout),” Cajegas said.
The registered rice retailers would receive P15,000 while sari-sari store owners would get P5,000.
READ: Incentives for Mandaue’s rice retailers eyed
Profiling status
Since the EO took effect last Tuesday, the DTI began their profiling to monitor retailers on their price caps.
Exactly a week since the effect of the mandate, as of Monday, DTI-7 have profiled 353 rice retailers in Central Visayas, most of which are registered but Cajegas did not specify how many.
One hundred forty eight were from Negros Oriental, 70 from Bohol, 42 from Siquijor, and 93 from Cebu.
However, in general, only 105 rice retailers are qualified to receive the financial assistance, according to Cajegas. This is because only those retailers, who conformed to the mandate on the price ceiling, would be qualified.
Other qualifications include having a stall inside the market and having a business permit.
READ: Cops to monitor defiant rice retailers in Central Visayas
Three markets in Cebu City
In Cebu City, only some rice retailers from three markets could receive the assistance since only a few of them complied.
The three markets in Cebu City were: T. Padilla Public Market, Guadalupe Public Market, and Carbon Public Market.
Meanwhile, among the 53 local government units in Cebu, DTI has only profiled 13 and these are Cebu City, Minglanilla, Moalboal, Bogo, Compostela, Consolacion, Carmen, Liloan, Danao, Sogod, Tabogon, Borbon, and Catmon.
In Luzon, the distribution of cash aid began on Saturday, September 9.
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