ILOILO CITY – The Department of Agriculture-6 (Western Visayas) noted that rice retailers in this city and the province of Iloilo are highly compliant with the price ceiling set by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Maria Teresa Solis, chief of the DA-6 Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division, said monitoring found out that compliance rates of rice retailers across Iloilo are satisfactory.

ILDEFONSO Dolorfino and Dolores de Vicente (left and center), president and vice president of the Iloilo Grains Businessmen Association (IGBA), listen to National Food Authority-6 Western Visayas Director Dianne Silva during a forum in Iloilo City. (Tara Yap)
“As of September 25, our compliance rate is 75 percent for well-milled rice prices while more than 65 percent for regular milled rice,” Solis told Manila Bulletin after the induction of Iloilo Grains Businessmen Association (IGBA) on Tuesday, September 26.
The IGBA accompanied a joint inspection conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry-6, National Food Authority-6, and DA-6 at the La Paz Public Market and Iloilo Terminal Market here.
Solis admitted that it is very difficult for some rice retailers to follow the price ceiling when they have already purchased stocks at a higher price prior to the executive order of the President.
She said it would not be long before prices stabilize for rice retailers as harvest season begins and there will be enough supply for the demand.
IGBA President Ildefonso Dolorfino and IGBA Vice President Dolores de Vicente vowed to support government agencies in urging other non-compliant rice traders to follow the temporary price ceiling.
Dolorfino said the newly formed IGBA will also tackle other concerns among the stakeholders in the future.
“This is not only about the current situation, but also whatever happens in the future,” Dolorfino added.