967 more rice retailers in WV to get P15K subsidy

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Field Office VI will release a total of P14.4 million cash subsidy to micro rice retailers in Western Visayas.

Around 967 qualified beneficiaries will get their P15,000 cash aid, which is a one-time assistance given to rice retailers affected by the rice price ceiling.

Iloilo province has the most number of beneficiaries at 282 while Negros Occidental has 211; Capiz with 185; Antique with 171; Aklan with 97; Guimaras with 17; and Iloilo City with 4.

The second batch of releases is scheduled to start on September 21.

Last week, the DSWD-6 and the Department of Trade and Industry released P3.75 million for the first batch of subsidies.

Atty. Carmelo Nochete, DSWD-6 regional director, has earlier said that the agency is working closely with the DTI to ensure that micro retailers are provided the aid that they need.

The payout is under the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program-Economic Relief Subsidy (SLP-ERS), which is deemed to help micro rice retailers cope with losses due to the imposition of the price ceiling of rice under Executive Order 39, series of 2023.

The DSWD-6 said that the DTI was tasked with the identification of participants or beneficiaries.