MANILA, Philippines – Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte pledged to provide rice retailers with financial assistance and consider waiving their rental fees.

“With regards to giving of discounts and waiving of rent for market stalls, Quezon City is ready to do all of these,” Belmonte said in Filipino on Tuesday, September 5, during her market inspection on the first day of the imposition of price ceiling.

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Belmonte said the city government had allotted a budget for “crisis situations” like this. She, however, did not disclose how much each retailer would receive.

“Here in Quezon City, we really don’t like [people] being penalized [by policies]. We understand their situation. They are not bad people, after all, they are just doing business,” she said in Filipino.

The Quezon City government is gathering information on rice retailers who have been affected by the price cap.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is concurrent agriculture secretary, earlier issued Executive Order 39, setting the price ceiling of regular rice to P41 per kilo and of well-milled rice to P45 per kilo, following the spike in rice prices.

While consumers welcome this measure, rice retailers bear the brunt of the price caps. Some vendors said that they suffered losses because of Marcos’ order.

Marcos has pledged assistance to rice retailers, but the administration has not disclosed the amount or when it will be given.

Economists cautioned that setting the price of rice lower than its production cost could have negative consequences for both ordinary Filipinos and farmers and traders. – Rappler.com

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