ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider PCC warns rice traders against coordinated market decisions

PCC warns rice traders against coordinated market decisions

Published May 26, 2026 12:55 pm  |  Updated May 26, 2026 01:26 pm
Laborers unload sacks of imported rice in the Uyanguren business district of Davao City on March 26. The Philippines is set to increase foreign rice purchases from suppliers like Vietnam and India to stabilize domestic stocks as the government warns that local production could fall by at least 20% this year due to high fertilizer and fuel costs. (Photo by Keith Bacongco I MB)
Laborers unload sacks of imported rice in the Uyanguren business district of Davao City on March 26. The Philippines is set to increase foreign rice purchases from suppliers like Vietnam and India to stabilize domestic stocks as the government warns that local production could fall by at least 20% this year due to high fertilizer and fuel costs. (Photo by Keith Bacongco I MB)

The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is urging traders to make market decisions independently to ensure fair competition in the imported rice sector following the imposition of a nationwide ₱50-per-kilo price ceiling.

In a statement on Tuesday, May 26, the country’s antitrust watchdog said it held a dialogue with Philippine Rice Importers’ Association (PRIA) last May 20 to discuss the industry group’s compliance with Executive Order (EO) No. 118.

Issued on May 13, EO 118 imposes a ₱50-per-kilo price cap on imported five-percent broken rice for 30 days.

The policy was implemented to prevent market abuse and keep the staple affordable to consumers at a time when the cost of essential goods remains elevated.

Since the price ceiling affects the entire supply chain, the PCC’s competition enforcement office (CEO) said it is critical that each rice trader make all commercial decisions independently.

This means market participants should avoid exchanging sensitive commercial information such as prices, quantities, and import volumes to uphold fairness in the market, the PCC said.

With this, the PCC said it is open to collaborative partnerships to help the industry comply with fair market principles, including initiatives involving strict policing and technical assistance.

The commission added that it is keen on establishing a transparent framework with PRIA to enforce compliance with the imported rice price ceiling without compromising market stability.

By strengthening market integrity, the PCC said it aims to deter anti-competitive behavior, prevent market distortions, and protect consumer welfare.

For its part, PRIA president Raffy Herrera said the industry group remains committed to complying with government regulations as part of its support for food security and a stable rice supply.

PRIA, which represents 60 importers, also urged the PCC to hold similar discussions with other importer groups to better align industry operations with the price cap and related government measures.

Earlier, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is prepared to help retailers access reasonably priced imported rice to assist in complying with the policy. The DA also said it would deploy field teams nationwide to monitor implementation.

The price cap is widely expected to be extended beyond the current 30-day implementation period as rice prices remain elevated amid persistent inflationary pressures. - Dexter Barro II

Related Tags

Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) imported rice
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.