President Marcos issued Executive Order 39 on Aug. 31, setting a price ceiling on regular-milled rice at P41 per kilo and well-milled rice at P45 per kilo. The National Economic and Development Authority also expressed support for EO 39, which it claimed will address hoarding, profiteering, smuggling and cartelization. The government should assist retailers in complying with EO 39, according to rice traders’ group Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM). Based on the DA’s monitoring, local regular milled rice is sold as high as P55 per kilo, local well-milled rice at P57 per kilo, local premium rice at P60 per kilo and local special rice at P65 per kilo. Imported well-milled rice is sold as high as P52 per kilo, imported premium rice at P56 per kilo and imported special rice at P65 per kilo.
