THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will start giving on Tuesday the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) cash aid to sari-sari store owners reeling from losses due to the mandatory rice price cap.

DSWD spokesman Romel Lopez said that the department will start paying out eligible sari-sari store owners this week in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to help individuals affected by the price ceiling on well-milled and regular-milled rice.

In compliance with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and DSWD guidelines, all qualified sari-sari stores that adhere to the price limits will get P15,000 each in livelihood assistance.

“The one-time SLP-cash aid program will continue to reach impacted rice retailers, including those small businesses and sarisari stores,” Lopez said.

Qualifications

Lopez said that the department will give financial aid to sari-sari store owners selling rice under the price cap and have their businesses registered with their respective local government unit’s (LGU) Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO).

“The sari-sari store must also have a registration from its barangay (village) and participate in the nano-retailer program, which is supported financially by their LGU, in order to qualify for the program and be eligible to receive the cash aid,” he said.

He pointed out that the SLPcash aid disbursement will be hastened in September by the DSWD and the DTI.

The price cap on rice across the country has affected 6,161 microrice retailers, and the DSWD has so far disbursed more than P92.3 million in cash assistance.

Lopez also assured the public that the DSWD and DTI will continue to carry out their payout activities for sari-sari store owners simultaneously with the distribution of cash aid for micro-rice retailers who are unable to meet their scheduled payouts for some reasons, or have pending submissions of pertinent documents.