Mindanaotoday.com | Rice price caps make a kilo cheaper by P9
By: URIEL QUILINGUING
A 45-peso-per-kilo well-milled local rice is available in public markets in Cagayan de Oro, in compliance with the mandated price ceilings that took effect on Tuesday, September 5, this year.
But a monitoring team composed of Department of Agriculture and Department of Trade and Industry personnel could not find regular milled local rice that was supposed to be sold P41 a kilo.
Photos by Mars Medina, a reporter of Radio Pilipinas Cagayan de Oro, show the change of price tags to P45 from P54 per kilo of well-milled local rice in one of the store retailers at a public market in Cogon.
From 10 am to 1 pm, the price of well-milled local rice shrunk by P9 or a 17-percent reduction, before the price monitoring team came, Medina said.
But a local rice labelled as premium-grade of Grace brand carried a P55-a-kilo price tag while local red rice was P62 a kilo.
All imported rice, branded as Jasmine, Princess Bea, Squareline, and Young Chow, had price tags ranging from P54 to 58 per kilo.
The price ceilings for regular milled and well-milled local rice were mandated under Executive Order No. 39 that was issued by President Ferdinand Marcos on August 31, this year.
A day before, the prices of regular milled and well-milled local rice at a public market in Carmen, Cagayan de Oro were P49 and P58, respectively, the DA Regional Field Office 10 posted on its Facebook wall.
Directed to oversee compliance of E.O. 39 among rice retailers in Cagayan de Oro and elsewhere nationwide were DA and DTI. Both the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government have been tasked to help.
“The mandated price ceilings shall remain in full force and effect unless earlier lifted by the President upon the recommendation of the Price Coordinating Council,” Section 2 of E.O. 39 states.
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