President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. has urged the public to report retailers selling rice above the price ceiling imposed by the government.

Following a sectoral meeting on Aug. 29, the Chief Executive has ordered a rice price cap amid the “alarming” increase in its retail prices. Through Executive Order (EO) No. 39, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Aug. 31, the mandatory price ceiling for regular milled rice is set at P41 per kilogram, while it is P45 per kilogram for well-milled rice.

“I would encourage anyone who finds that someone or (a) retailer is selling at above the price ceiling, i-report po Ninyo---i-report sa pulis (report them to the police), i-report niyo sa DA sa lugar ninyo (report them to the Department of Agriculture in your area), i-report niyo sa (report them to the) local government para matingnan po namin at tiyakin na hindi lalampas sa presyo na ating nilagay na P4[1] at P44 (to ensure that the their prices would not exceed the P41 and P44 rice price that we have set),” he said during an ambush interview Friday, Sept. 1.

To ensure that the price cap is followed, Marcos said a “structure” composed of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), DA, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) was put together.

“We have put together a structure for the continuing monitoring. This will include essentially the lead agencies on this are the DILG, DA, DTI, and DOJ as well…Because all of those agencies already have regular inspections when it comes to other issues. They will now apply the price ceiling that I have ordered in the EO that I have signed yesterday, to make sure the prices stay within the limits that we have prescribed,” the President said.

According to the Chief Executive, the retail price of rice outside the National Capital Region (NCR) is “not so bad.”

“Now, the real problem is in NCR, it’s not so bad outside of Metro Manila that’s why we will be focusing our efforts in Metro Manila,” said Marcos.

Meanwhile, the farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) has backed the rice price ceiling ordered by the President.

The group also noted that the country has ample supply of rice so there is no reason for the retail prices to go up. 

Jayson Cainglet, SINAG executive director, said that it is only right for the government to impose a price cap on rice as the country’s rice stocks are from the farmgate price of P20 to P23. He noted that rice traders and retailers will not lose money even if the rice farmgate price reaches P25.

Per the agriculture department, the price of regular milled rice Metro Manila markets ranged from P42 to P55 per kilo as of Aug. 28.