Cathy Estavillo, spokesperson of Bantay Bigas, criticized the Department of Agriculture’s pledge to cap rice prices at ₱50 per kilo, calling it “just a drawing” as monitoring by the group revealed no such affordable rice in local markets.
Instead, ordinary rice is already selling at ₱60 or higher per kilo, with projections that prices could reach ₱62 by September.
Bantay Bigas warns that consumers will face even greater hardship, pointing to the persistently high cost of fertilizer now at ₱3,000 as a major driver of the surge.
This situation has deepened public concern as people await concrete government action to curb the relentless rise in basic commodities.
