BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan ordered the members of the Local Price Coordinating Council (LPCC) to strictly monitor the prevailing prices of basic commodities in the city to make sure that erring businessmen will not take advantage of the prevailing situation by unscrupulously increasing the prices of goods which will be disadvantageous to the welfare of the greater majority of the populace.
The local chief executive claimed that the local government will not allow erring businessmen to take advantage of the onslaught of Tropical Cyclone Ompong to unreasonably increase the prices of their products because even without the declaration of a state of calamity in the city, the members of the LPCC must intensify the monitoring of the prices of basic goods to make sure that the prices will be within the prescribed suggested retail price (SRP) being regulated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
In the case of the prices of rice from the National Food Authority (NFA), he requested the concerned government agencies to cascade to the local governments their directives for the local governments to compel rice retailers to sell both regular and well milled rice.
If the retailers will not abide by the prescribed mandate, he agreed to the recommendation that the local chief executives will outrightly cancel their permits to do business until such time that they will comply with the prevailing requirements to make sure that people will have access to regular and well milled rice in the different markets.
“There is no reason for our businessmen to claim that there is an unstable supply of basic commodities because most of our major roads have been opened to traffic right after the onslaught of the natural calamity. We appeal to our businessmen not to take advantage of the situation by unreasonably increasing the prices of their basic goods so that our people will not be affected,” Domogan stressed.
Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol assured Cordillera officials that he will double the required supply of NFA rice being delivered to the different NFA outlets regionwide to guarantee the availability of rice supply for the daily consumption of rice by the people, especially those affected by the onslaught of natural and man-made calamities.
If the daily allocation of NFA rice in the region is 2,000 bags daily, the DA official claimed that under existing rules and regulations, NFA is mandated to provide 10 percent of the said supply, thus, the increase in the allocation will help stabilize not only the supply but also the pries of rice in the city.
Domogan requested concerned officials of national government agencies to continue providing the local governments with the latest rules and regulations crafted to guarantee the stability of the supply and the prices of basic commodities and the prices of the said goods to prevent unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage of the present and future calamities in gaining more profit from calamity victims.
He pointed out LPCC members must continue making the necessary rounds in the different parts of the city to make sure that there will be no businessman who will take advantage of the situation for the benefit of availability of affordable products to the people.
By Dexter A. See
