THE Department of Agriculture-Davao Region (DA-Davao) inspected some rice retailers at Bankerohan Market in Davao City to ensure the enforcement of the mandated price ceiling on 5 percent broken imported rice.
Macario D. Gonzaga, regional executive director of DA-Davao, said that the inspection aimed to monitor the price of imported rice in line with the price ceiling on 5 percent broken imported rice.
“Dili sila maigo sa presyo, masakitan, labi na karon nga krisis kay duna man gyud uban traders usahay ilahang pahimuslan ang panahon, tungod sa krisis ilahang taason ang presyo (To assure that the people won’t be affected by the prices, won’t get hurt, especially this time of crisis because there are some traders who take advantage of the situation and raise their prices to profit from the crisis),” he said in an interview on June 1, 2026.
Gonzaga said that, based on their monitoring, some vendors sold rice at P2 to P3 higher than the mandated price. He, however, said that there were some stalls that followed the mandated price cap. He said the reason for the varying rice prices among vendors was the prices they obtained from wholesalers.
The agency conducted an inspection in the market in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Bureau of Plant Industry-Satellite Pesticide Analytical Laboratory (BPI-SPAL), and the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Davao City Field Office.
Government agencies such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) are helping the DA enforce the price cap.
The office has issued a stern warning to market vendors and retailers to strictly comply with the mandate, citing that under Republic Act No. 7581, otherwise known as the Price Act, individuals found to have violated the law would face criminal and administrative penalties.
The DA's monitoring was part of a simultaneous nationwide market visit and compliance inspection, aimed at addressing unjustified price hikes, prevent market abuse, and guarantee the availability of affordable rice for the public while maintaining market stability.
The inspection is grounded in Executive Order No. 118, which was signed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and stipulates the strict imposition of a P50-per kilogram (kg) price cap on 5 percent broken imported rice.
The DA said that the nationwide price ceiling took effect on May 13 and would last for 30 days. The mandate may be extended, modified, or lifted depending on the government's market evaluations. RGP
