AN OFFICIAL of the Cagayan de Oro City’s price monitoring body said they found three business establishments which violated the prize freeze still in effect in the city.
Lawyer Edgardo Uy, co-chairman of the City Price Coordinating Council, said out of the eight establishments they inspected on Tuesday, January 23, at least three of them were found to have raised their prices of detergent soap, salt and milk by about P0.25 to P1.
"May mga items na hindi compliant sa frozen prices so ang nangyari (There are items that are not compliant with the frozen prices so what happened), we issued a notice doon sa mga hindi (to those who were not) compliant and we specified the violation and pinull out nila yung items at kinorek yung price (they pulled out the items and corrected the prices)," Uy said.
Uy added that if the violation was not immediately corrected by the establishments, then the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Misamis Oriental will issue a show-cause order and file a formal charge before the DTI-Northern Mindanao office.
According to the Section 6 of the Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act, any retailers found selling more than the listed price ceilings shall be imposed with an administrative fine of up to P1 million.
Last December 29, 2017, the DTI informed all consumers and retailers of the price freeze on all basic necessities at their prevailing prices after the City Government declared a state of calamity due to the Tropical Storm "Vinta" that hit the city on December 22, 2017.
This will last for a period of 60 days unless the state of calamity will be lifted.
Basic necessities that are under price freeze include canned sardines, milk, coffee, detergent or laundry soap, noodles, bread, salt, candles, and water.
"To the consuming public, what we are doing will really assure the consuming public that the government is doing its job to protect the rights of the consumers. Kasi kung walang magbabantay, walang magmo-monitor, baka (If there will be no one to secure, no one to monitor, perhaps) we will be subjected to unreasonable increase in the prices," Uy said.
He added that in the business establishment side, the price monitoring they are doing will also "assure the consuming public that the business community is also compliant with the regulations and law abiding."