The Special Inter Agency Task Force is composed of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health (DOH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Philippine National Police (PNP),and Bureau of Customs (BOC).
DTI 11 Consumer and Protection Welfare chief Deolly Roque during Wednesday’s press conference at The Royal Mandaya Hotel said there were three warehouses in Davao City that had been inspected.
She said the task force is only tasked to monitor the movement of rice prices as provided under the said EO.
The price ceiling of rice under the said EO is at P45 per kilo for well-milled rice and P41 per kilo for regular milled rice.
Roque stressed they are only limited to monitor the price and profiling for the first seven days based on the directive given to them from their head office.
“Among the three warehouses that were monitored, wala namang nakitaang nag-hoarding, only that ang buying price nila is really mataas, and reasons given by the warehouses’ suppliers and importers is lean season since July walang harvest ang ating local farmers,” Roque said.
“Minus ang supply for our locally produced-rice and the harvest season will start next month October pa. So it is expected na medyo increasing ang supply natin sa local rice by October,” Roque further said.
Roque also cited other factors why the price continues to increase is the importation cap from other countries, particularly the Vietnam government which is one of the source countries for imported rice.
“Ni-limit na nila ang giving out sa importation nila to other countries including the Philippines, so may mga issues na-encounter karon ang mga rice importers,” she said.
Roque, on the other hand said the government is planning to provide assistance to those rice retailers who are affected by the implementation of price ceiling, but she said, the agency is still awaiting the guidelines for this purpose.
DTI 11 Consumer and Protection Welfare chief Deolly Roque