The Department of Trade and Industry has implemented a price freeze on basic necessities in Cebu and Bohol after the provincial government of their respective provinces declared a state of calamity due to El Nino phenomenon.
DTI Central Visayas (DTI 7) Regional Director Asteria Caberte explained that with “the declaration of a state of calamity by a local government unit (LGU) in a particular area the prices on basic goods shall automatically be frozen at their prevailing prices.”
Caberte said that “a price control is in effect for the duration of the condition that brought it about but not more than 60 days.”
“As contained in Section 6 of RA 7581 otherwise known as the Price Act, a price freeze is automatically implemented as a preventive measure in order to thwart overpricing of goods such as processed milk, canned goods, noodles, coffee, laundry soap and detergent during times of calamities,” Caberte added.
The Price Act lists the basic necessities assigned to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – canned fish and other canned marine products, processed milk, coffee, instant noodles, laundry soap, detergent and bottled water; assigned to the Department of Agriculture (DA) – rice, corn, cooking oil, fresh eggs, fresh pork/ beef and poultry meat, fresh milk, fresh vegetables, root crops, sugar, fresh/ dried and other marine products; assigned to Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – firewood and charcoal; and the Department of Health (DOH) – drugs classified as essential by DOH.
The Price Act provides that any retailer found selling more than the listed prevailing prices shall be imposed with an administrative fine up to One Million Pesos (P1,000,000.00) and/or maximum of 10-year imprisonment.
The DTI enjoins consumers to report retailers that sell basic necessities more than the specified prices to the nearest DTI Regional or Provincial Office in their areas: DTI Region 7 (032)255-0036 / 255-0037; DTI-Bohol (038) 501-8828 / 501-8260; DTI-Cebu (032) 255-6971 / 255-3926 (end)
