ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Gov't keeping close tabs on rice prices — Palace

Gov't keeping close tabs on rice prices — Palace

Published Sep 6, 2023 08:55 am

Malacañang assured the public that the government will intensify its monitoring of rice prices in the market.

Rice.jpg
A rice vendor at Paco Market in Manila says regular milled rice sold at P41 per kilogram does not sell well due to its unusual appearance. (Arnold Quizol)

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin made the statement a day after the price ceilings on rice were implemented in the country.

“Ang aming opisina ay magbabantay upang maisakatuparan ang layunin na mapababa ang presyo ng bigas sa ating mga palengke at supermarkets (Our office will be on the lookout in order to achieve the goal to bring the prices of rice in markets and supermarkets down,” Bersamin said in a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Bersamin said ensuring that the price cap on rice is followed and enforced is crucial, citing the increase of inflation rate to 5.3 percent in August, which according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) report, is attributed to the increases in rice prices.

“Ang datos na ito ay isa sa malaking dahilan sa pagpasya ng ating Pangulo sa pagtatakda ng price ceiling (sa bigas) at ito ay isang pansamantalang patakaran upang tugunan ang inflation (This data is among the reasons of the President to set a price ceiling on rice and this is a temporary measure to address inflation),” the Executive Secretary explained.

“Ang patakaran ding ito ay naglalayong mabawasan ang paghihirap ng ating mamamayan at puksain ang mga nagmamanipula ng presyo (This policy also aims to end the suffering of our people and eliminate those who are manipulating prices),” the Palace official added.

On Aug. 31, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order (EO) No. 39 which mandated price caps for regular and well-milled rice at P41 per kilogram and P45 per kilogram, respectively.

According to Bersamin, the President issued the EO to shield the vulnerable population against the unjustified and artificial increases in rice prices caused by hoarding and price manipulation.

"Ang pagtaas ng inflation ay dahil sa presyo ng pagkain, lalo na ang bigas, sa pangkalahatan. Kaya nagpasya ang ating Pangulo na ipatupad ang price ceiling sa bigas dahil sa nakikita n'ya na ang pagtaas nito ay namamanipula na nagpapahirap sa ating kababayan (The increase in inflation rate is due to the prices of food, especially rice. So the President ordered the price ceiling on rice as he was expecting that the rise in prices can be manipulated, causing burden to Filipinos)," Bersamin said.

Under the EO, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), in coordination with other government agencies, shall ensure the strict implementation and provide assistance to retailers affected by the price ceiling.

READ MORE: Marcos orders quick release of aid to rice retailers

Related Tags

rice price cap Lucas Bersamin rice supply inflation rate President Marcos
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.