NEGROS OCCIDENTAL (PIA) -- The provincial head of the Department of Trade and Industry here is calling on rice retailers to comply with Executive Order 39 which puts a cap on the price of rice and for the Local Price Coordinating Council (LPCC) to meet for planning.

Negros Occidental DTI Provincial Director Lynna Joy Cardinal, in an interview, said they have disseminated information regarding President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s EO order 39 that mandates a ceiling on the regular milled rice at P41.00 per kilo and well-milled rice at P45.00 per kilo.

She said the Local Government Units, through their LPCC, could also plan for specific actions and coordinate their activities in response to the demands of the order.

Cardinal said the DTI specifically monitors rice sold at groceries and supermarkets while the Department of Agriculture takes on the rice retailers.

In Bacolod City, Mayor Albee Benitez said rice retailers have started to comply with the mandated price based on his visit to rice retailers, local media here reports.

Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) officer-in-charge Dina Gensola also said they are monitoring the cost of rice along with the DTI. (AAL/Lljr/PIA 6 Negros Occidental)