BAGUIO CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government here is urging Cordillera local government units (LGUs) to monitor the prices of basic goods and prime commodities through their Local Price Coordinating Council (LPCC) as the region continues to welcome a massive influx of both domestic and foreign tourists.
“I strongly enjoin our local chief executives (LCEs) and members of the LPCCs to conduct regular inspections of public and private markets. LCEs may enjoin barangay officials and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to monitor excessive price increases in order to protect both domestic and foreign tourists and more importantly their constituents,” said Araceli San Jose, Regional Director of DILG CAR today.
Adding, the LPCCs will assist in the implementation of suggested retail prices (SRPs) of basic food commodities, issue warnings, and monitor, transport, movement, and distribution of commodities,” she said.
The LPCCs will also monitor and prevent excessive and unreasonable price spikes in agricultural goods, processed goods, and medicines.
It can be recalled that LPCCs are authorized by Republic Act No. 7581, also known as the Price Act, to protect consumers by stabilizing the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities and prescribing measures to prevent excessive price increases during emergency situations and similar occasions.
Determination of Price Ceilings
The LPCCs may hold a public hearing or engage in dialogue with DILG representatives, producers, manufacturers, distributors, sellers, and consumers to arrive at a reasonable price ceiling.
“They should also continue to monitor the prices of all basic necessities and prime commodities and enforce suggested retail prices or SRPs even during normal times to ensure that businesses do not take advantage of customers, and tourists,” RD San Jose said.
Meanwhile, the Price Act of 1992 provides that the LPCC is chaired by the local chief executive and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sits as the vice chair and secretariat. It is supposed to be reconstituted every time a new set of local officials is elected.
Tourist Influx
RD San Jose also urged local governments to provide proper service and to welcome tourists as guests. She reminded them that the welfare of tourists, whose continued support for the tourists’ destinations is critical to the tourism industry’s recovery.
Meanwhile, Baguio City remains to be the country’s top tourist spot based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority in Cordillera. It said Baguio received a total of 1.5 million tourists in 2017, or 77 percent of the region’s total tourist arrivals of 1.96 million. By PMTG/DILG-CAR
