Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian reiterated the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the list of the small rice retailers who will be given cash aid under the DSWD's Sustainable Livelihood Program must be inclusive.

"Ang instruction ng Pangulo, dapat inklusibo 'yung listahan. Ang ating Pangulo ay nakikinig. Alam niya ang pinagdadaanan ng ating mga rice retailers. Nauunawaan niya iyon," Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian along with his DSWD-SLP team met with officials of the Department of Trade and Industry at the Central Office in Quezon City Friday to finalize the initial list of rice retailers who were affected by the price ceiling on regular milled and well-milled rice as mandated by the Executive Order No. 39.

Under EO No. 39 which took effect September 5, regular milled rice was given a price cap of Php41 per kilo while the well-milled rice was given a ceiling of Php45 per kilo.

During the meeting between DSWD and DTI, it was agreed upon that rice retailers located in wet markets, public markets, and other areas accessible to the general public (excluding supermarkets and convenience stores) shall be entitled to the SLP cash assistance amounting to P15,000.

Even sari-sari stores located outside of wet markets and public markets are now eligible for a P5,000 SLP subsidy, according to the DSWD chief.

"Unlicensed rice retailers and sari-sari store owners selling rice are also included in the SLP payout which is in line with the President's directive that the list of beneficiaries should be inclusive," Gatchalian pointed out.

The amount of P15,000 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.

Based on the DTI guidelines, a copy of which was furnished to the DSWD, a subsidy in the amount of P15,000 will be released by single payment under the following conditions:

Retailers with a license issued by the Business Permits and Licensing Office and are engaged in the actual sale or offering for sale of RMR and WMR rice within the price ceiling at the time of surveillance or monitoring activity;

Retailers who are registered under the DTI as sole proprietors and retailers who are registered under the Securities and Exchange Commission as partnerships and corporations and are engaged in the actual sale or offering for sale of RMR and WMR rice within the price ceiling at the time of surveillance or monitoring activity;

Unlicensed retailers engaged in the actual sale or offering for sale of RMR and WMR rice within price ceiling, as validated by the concerned DTI office at the time of surveillance or monitoring activity; and

Unlicensed retailers as validated by the Market Masters and/or verified by the relevant DTI Office after the presentation of proof of actual selling of RMR and WMR rice within the price ceiling at the time of the effectivity of EO 39.

According to the DTI guidelines, " any rice retailer who meets the above criteria but is found to have violated EO 39 during the surveillance or monitoring activity by the concerned DTI office must submit additional proof of actual sale of RMR and WMR rice within the mandated price ceiling for a period of 7 days from the date of commission of the violation."

For rice retailers located in the National Capital Region, the DTI Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau shall be the lead DTI office in preparing the list of qualified recipients based on the listed eligibility criteria.

For rice retailers located outside of the NCR, the DTI Regional Operations Group shall be the lead DTI office in preparing the list of qualified recipients based on the listed eligibility criteria.

Sari-Sari stores located outside of wet markets and public markets are eligible for a P5,000 SLP subsidy to be released in single payment under the following conditions:

Sari-Sari stores with a license issued by the Business Permits and Licensing Office and/or are registered with DTI as sole proprietors, and are engaged in the actual sale or offering for sale RMR and WMR rice within price ceiling at the time of surveillance or monitoring activity; and

Unlicensed sari-store stores engaged in the actual sale or offering for sale RMR and WMR rice within the price ceiling at the time of surveillance or monitoring activity of the concerned DTI office.

"Any sari-sari store that meets the above criteria but is found to have violated EO 39 during the surveillance or monitoring activity by the concerned DTI office shall be required to submit additional proof of the actual sale of RMR and WMR rice within the mandated price ceiling for a period of 3 days from the date of commission of the violation," the DTI guideline said.

The amount of P5,000 has been calculated as the maximum amount allowed to compensate sari-sari stores for losses incurred for at least seven days from the effectivity of EO 39.

The DTI Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development shall be the lead DTI office in preparing the list of qualified sari-sari store recipients based on the listed eligibility criteria.