Agri dept flags 36 rice dealers for price cap violations
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued notices of violation to 36 retailers nationwide for failing to comply with the mandatory price ceiling on imported rice.
The DA said it issued notices of violation to 36 rice retailers nationwide, including 19 in Ilocos, eight in Metro Manila, four in Central Luzon, three in the Negros Island Region, and two in Bicol.
READ: DA seen extending P50/kg rice price cap
“The issuance of notices of violations forms part of the DA’s intensified monitoring and enforcement efforts to ensure adherence to government-mandated rice cap policies and protect consumers from unjustified price increases,” the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
A Trabajo Market vendor in Sampaloc, Manila received a notice of violation for changing a shelf label after inspectors arrived. The stall initially displayed imported rice priced at P55 per kilogram.
A retailer in Alabang Central Public Market received a similar notice for selling imported premium rice at P60 per kilo. Other retailers were also flagged for mislabelling locally produced rice as imported rice.
Meanwhile, another retailer was suspected of mislabeling imported rice as local rice. The DA said formal sanctions will be determined by the Bureau of Plant Industry’s laboratory findings on market samples.
On May 13, President Marcos issued Executive Order No. 118 to cap prices at P50 per kilogram on 5-percent broken imported rice nationwide for one month.
It aims to curtail “unreasonable price increases” and prevent market abuse amid the adverse impact of the Middle East conflict on the prices of essential goods.
The DA conducted simultaneous inspections in several Metro Manila markets and other parts of the country to monitor retailers’ compliance with the price cap.
“Some retailers have complained that the price cap could leave them with little or no profit because certain suppliers allegedly sell imported rice at prices that leave insufficient room for retail markups,” the agency said.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Willie Ann Angsiy said retailers must disclose their sources so that authorities can investigate upstream rice traders.
“If retailers are saying they cannot earn because of the prices imposed by suppliers, they have to identify those suppliers so we can go after the importers or wholesalers who may be selling way above the acceptable prices,” Angsiy said.
Tough sanctions
The DA previously warned that erring rice retailers, traders and importers could face imprisonment, millions in penalties, and business closures for failure to adhere to the price ceiling.
“Unlike the previous maximum suggested retail price that depended largely on moral suasion and voluntary compliance, the mandated price ceiling now allows the Department of Agriculture to impose punitive sanctions and fines on violators,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said last month.
Under the Price Act, violators may face one to 10 years in prison, pay fines ranging from P5,000 to P1 million, or both, depending on the court’s discretion.
It authorizes the DA to impose sanctions under the Price Act, including business closures, product seizures, permit revocations, and cease-and-desist orders.
Furthermore, erring establishments may be slapped with administrative fines ranging from P1,000 to P1 million. /pai INQ
