The Department of Social Welfare and Development, or DSWD, has started handing out state subsidies to rice retailers suffering from the direct impact of the government order imposing a price ceiling on rice.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Saturday assured micro rice retailers at the Commonwealth Market in Quezon City that the Marcos administration will continue to help them financially and monitor their well-being.

Gatchalian, along with Department of Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and Department of Trade and Industry Director Phillip Sawali, led the kick-off of the simultaneous cash assistance payout to micro rice retailers in Quezon City and the cities of San Juan and Caloocan.

Gatchalian said micro rice retailers who were not able to avail of the Sustainable Livelihood Program cash assistance in the Saturday rollout are assured of receiving their cash assistance as the payouts will continue in the following days.

In his message to beneficiaries of the DSWD's SLP-Cash Assistance for Micro Rice Retailers, Gatchalian reiterated the directive of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to immediately assist the micro rice retailers who were affected by the price caps as mandated under Executive Order 39.

"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," Gatchalian said.

589 micro-retailers benefit

A total of 589 micro rice retailers affected by the imposition of price controls were each given cash aid amounting to P15,000 in the three public markets where the simultaneous payouts were held.