DSWD, DTI finalizing cash assistance details for small rice retailers

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Wednesday, Sept. 6 went over the specifics of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) for small retailers affected by the price cap on rice.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and DTI Undersecretary Carol P. Sanchez convened a meeting at the DSWD Central Office to discuss how to smoothly implement the DSWD’s SLP cash payout in accordance with Executive Order No. 39, which established a price cap on regularly milled and well milled rice and went into effect on Sept. 5.
“We are going to use the SLP to make sure that our retailers of rice are taken care of during this unforeseen time,” Gatchalian said.
“In this case, the DTI was tasked to work with the rice retailers association to identify who the small rice retailers are. They’ll pass on the list to us and on the ground we do payouts,” he said.
DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications and spokesperson Romel Lopez said the meeting was intended to expedite the completion of the list of qualified small rice retailers across the country who will be the recipients of the cash assistance up to P15,000 per eligible retailer under the SLP.
“The completion of the master list of the intended beneficiaries is the meeting’s top agenda in order to carry out the actual payouts as soon as possible,” Lopez said.
He added that while the DSWD is responsible for the distribution of cash assistance, the DTI will be in charge of the program’s grievance and complaint component.