ELEVEN small-scale rice retailers in Central Visayas have yet to claim their cash aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 during the simultaneous, pilot distribution on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
Of the number, 10 beneficiaries are from Negros Oriental and one is from Consolacion, Cebu. All six beneficiaries in Bohol and the lone beneficiary in Siquijor were able to claim the cash aid.
DSWD 7, however, assured that those who have not yet received their cash aid will be contacted by the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) officer. The SLP officer will provide information on how and where these individuals can claim their P15,000 cash aid.
The cash aid aims to alleviate the losses suffered by small rice retailers after complying with the price cap order set by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order (EO) 39.
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7, responsible for profiling the cash aid recipients, has indicated that the profiling process is still ongoing.
However, they are still awaiting directives from the central office regarding the schedule of the next payout.
In Central Visayas, a total of 87 small rice retailers are qualified to receive the cash assistance, with the DSWD 7 allocating a total budget of P1,305,000.
A total of P90,000 was budgeted for the six beneficiaries in Bohol; P945,000 for the 63 beneficiaries in Negros Oriental; P255,000 for 17 beneficiaries in Cebu, and P15,000 for the lone beneficiary in Siquijor.
The qualified recipients of the subsidy are the micro-rice retailers who follow the rice price ceiling as well as those who have business permits.
Rice price monitoring in various markets is also ongoing in accordance with EO 39.
The distribution of cash assistance in Cebu was held at the Cebu City Interim Building in Carbon Public Market on Thursday.
DTI Cebu Provincial Director Rose Mae Quiñanola told media on Thursday that the 17 beneficiaries in Cebu, are from the following: three from Minglanilla, six from Consolacion, and eight from the City of Cebu.
Leonora Bayloses, a micro-rice retailer and one of the beneficiaries, told SunStar Cebu on Thursday that she did not expect to receive financial aid from the government.
Bayloses said she plans to use the 15,000 cash aid as capital for her business. (KJF, AML)