The distribution of subsidies for rice retailers is in full swing but much work needs to be done to hit the target number of beneficiaries.
Currie Cator checked on the situation in some Metro Manila cities.
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Currie Cator checked on the situation in some Metro Manila cities.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Jean can no longer sell rice at P41 per kilogram in her Sari-Sari store in Marikina.
00:07 The lowest she can go is P45 per kilogram, although the rice is no longer of good quality.
00:13 She says she will try to find a cheaper supplier to make the P20,000 subsidy last for a week.
00:19 "We have no choice, ma'am.
00:21 We don't have any other source of income.
00:23 This is the only source.
00:25 We need to cut our costs."
00:27 Marikina officials have distributed an additional P5,000 subsidy to almost 150 rice retailers,
00:34 on top of the P15,000 from the national government.
00:37 Vendors at the Marikina public market have also been granted free rent for two months
00:42 and are exempted from business taxes until the last quarter.
00:45 But Marikina Mayor Mars Hitiodoro acknowledges the huge losses of rice retailers complying with the price cap.
00:52 He says they are looking into directly buying rice from suppliers or dealers.
00:57 "I am just looking at the legal basis and how viable it is.
01:06 We can give assistance to the rice that the city can buy instead of cash assistance."
01:19 In Manila, over 190 rice retailers from public and private markets have received cash assistance,
01:26 while officials in Pasay also distributed P20,000 to qualified recipients.
01:31 Some, however, encountered hurdles in the process, as about 12 percent of the beneficiaries don't match the names on the list.
01:39 "To rice retailers, we should be careful.
01:42 You should give your official name, your use of the name."
01:47 "The DHWD should be lenient when it comes to minor discrepancies.
01:53 The key here is to make sure that it is vetted by the DTI."
01:59 The social welfare department reminds rice retailers reportedly getting cash aid,
02:04 even though they are not following the price cap.
02:06 "We don't want to waste government money, taxpayer's money, on those who are not qualified."
02:15 Of the nearly 4,000 target rice retailers in four days, only more than half have received aid.
02:21 The overall target is 30,000 to 50,000 nationwide.
02:25 Kary Kator, CNN Philippines.