By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Saying that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s campaign promise to bring down the retail price of rice to P20 per kilo remains the “aspiration and goal” of the Department of Agriculture (DA), it still won’t recommend the imposition of a retail price ceiling.
“Wala kaming plano na magkaroon ng price cap or SRP kasi may mabigat ding epekto ‘yan pagdating ng panahon (We do not have a plan to impose price cap or SRP because it might have an ill effect in the future),” Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
To recall, President Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order 39 last year which mandated a price cap of P41 per kilogram for regular-milled rice and P45 per kilogram for well-milled rice.
The price cap was implemented from September 5 until October 4, when the President lifted the measure.
However, despite the issuance of EO 39, rice inflation still quickened in September 2023 to 17.9% and continued its upward trajectory until early this year.
Despite the double-digit, year-on-year price inflation, De Mesa claimed that retail prices of rice are declining month-on-month.
“‘Yung presyo ng bigas bumababa from P52 [per kilo] last month. Ngayon, nasa P50 to P49 [per kilo],” he noted.
(el Amigo/MNM)
