Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Saturday assured micro rice retailers at the Commonwealth Market in Quezon City that the Marcos administration will continue helping them not only financially but also the monitoring of their well-being.
Secretary Gatchalian, along with Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Director Fhillip Sawali, led the kick-off of the simultaneous cash assistance payout for micro rice retailers in Quezon City and the cities of San Juan and Caloocan on Saturday (September 9).
Secretary Gatchalian said qualified micro rice retailers who were not able to avail of the SLP cash assistance in the Saturday rollout are assured of receiving their cash assistance as the DSWD will continue the payouts in the following days.
In his message to the beneficiaries of the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP)-Cash Assistance for Micro Rice Retailers, Secretary Gatchalian emphasized the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to immediately assist the micro rice retailers who were affected by the price cap as mandated by Executive Order No. 39.
“Ipinararating din ng ating mahal na pangulo ang kanyang mensahe na nauunawaan nya ang inyong pinagdadaanan. Kausap ko nga sya kahapon at alam nya na hindi madali para sa mga small rice retailers natin ang panahon na ito. Kaya agad-agad nyang naisip na magbigay ng ganitong tulong pinansyal o livelihood grants para matulungan po kayo,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
(The President wants to convey his message that he understands what you are going through. I was talking to him yesterday and he knows that this is not easy for our micro rice retailers. That is why he immediately instructed us to provide this kind of financial assistance or livelihood grants to assist you.)
A total of 589 micro rice retailers affected by the imposition of price controls were each given cash aid amounting to Php15,000 in the three public markets where the simultaneous payout were held.
For Commonwealth Market, SLP-cash aid payouts were given to 405 micro retailers; 136 retailers at the Maypajo Market in Caloocan City and 48 beneficiaries at the Agora Market in San Juan City.
According to the DTI, the Php15,000 cash assistance has been calculated as the maximum amount allowed to compensate rice retailers classified as a micro-enterprise (based on Republic Act No. 9501 or Magna Carta for MSMEs) for losses incurred for at least seven days from the effectivity of EO 39.
“Sa ngalan ng ating Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, nagpapasalamat kami sa ating mga small rice retailers katulad ninyo na sumunod agad at tumulong na maging bahagi ng solusyon… Pag pinagtulongtulungan natin ito, alam naman natin na walang imposible,” the DSWD chief said.
(On behalf of President Bongbong Marcos, we thank our small rice retailers like you who followed immediately and helped to be part of the solution… When we work together, we know that nothing is impossible.)
The cash assistance payout is one of the measures of the Marcos administration to help micro rice retailers in line with the issuance of EO No. 39 which set a price cap of Php41 per kilo of regular-milled and a ceiling of Php45 per kilo of well-milled rice.
The DSWD chief reiterated the message of President Marcos that while the issuance of EO 39 aims to protect the buyer, the government will not leave the micro rice retailers behind.
“Yung executive order po na lumabas ay isang mekanismo upang maprotektahan ang ating mga maliliit na maminili. Alam naman natin na importante rin na mayroon silang pagkain sa hapag pero alam din po ng ating pangulo na tulungan din namin kayo na aming mga partner sa pagdeliver ng serbisyo ng pagkain sa ating taong bayan,” Secretary Gatchalian emphasized.
(The Executive Order that came out is a mechanism to protect our small buyers. We know that it is also important that they have food on the table, but our president also knows that we should also help you, our partners, in delivering food services to our people.)
The DSWD chief also pointed out that the SLP is not just giving financial assistance. He said the directive of the President is for government agencies to continue the dialogues with rice retailer organizations “so that we can better understand what other assistance will come from the national government for our small rice retailers.”
“Sabi nga ng pangulo, hindi ito yung pagbigay ay tapos na. Patuloy po ang magiging dayalogo sa inyong mga samahan para lalo pa naming maunawaan kung ano pa yung mga tulong na manggagaling sa pamahalaang nasyonal para sa ating mga small rice retailers,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
Secretary Gatchalian stressed that the national government and the local governments are here to help the micro rice retailers.
“Don’t worry, we will continue to monitor your well-being,” the DSWD chief said.#
