The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday said it is set to distribute the Sustainable Livelihood Program cash assistance to sari-sari store owners, who are experiencing losses due to the rice price ceiling, starting today, 26 September.

DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said the Department will begin paying out qualified sari-sari store owners this week in response to the order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to assist those affected by the imposed price cap on well-milled and regular-milled rice.

A livelihood cash aid of P15,000 will be given to all qualified sari-sari stores who follow the price cap, in accordance with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and DSWD regulations.

"The one-time SLP cash assistance program will continue to reach impacted rice retailers, including those small businesses and sari-sari stores," Lopez said.

The DSWD spokesperson noted that the Department will prioritize cash aid payout to sari-sari store owners who sell rice within the price cap and whose business is registered in the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) of their respective local government units LGUs).

"The sari-sari store must also have a registration from its Barangay and participate in the nano-retailer program which is supported financially by their LGU in order to qualify for the program and be eligible to receive the cash aid," Lopez pointed out.

Under the SLP cash assistance program for micro rice retailers, qualified beneficiaries will receive Php15,000 cash aid from the DSWD.

Lopez also emphasized that the DSWD, together with the DTI, will expedite the SLP cash aid payout within the month of September.

To date, the DSWD has provided more than P92.3 million worth of cash aid to some 6,161 micro-rice retailers affected by the price ceiling on rice.

Meanwhile, Lopez also said that the distribution of cash aid to micro rice retailers, who are unable to meet their scheduled payouts due to pending submission of pertinent documents, will still be held simultaneously by the DSWD and DTI.

Under this initiative, the DSWD and DTI aim to assist small rice traders and retailers, or the vulnerable groups amid the price ceilings on rice imposed through Executive Order No. 39, series of 2023.