NEGROS Occidental fifth district Board Member Alain Gatuslao is working for the creation of a multi-sectoral monitoring team that will go after those selling fake commodities.
Gatuslao, chairman of committee on laws, rules and ordinances, said Monday that the resolution he filed last week is the first of a series of legislative actions that he will undertake to stop the proliferation of counterfeit items.
These include soap, shampoo, toothpaste, cigarette, and noodles.
Gatuslao said that some local retailers reported to him the presence of fake goods and even brought to him samples of these items.
Commodities believed to be fake were initially sighted in markets and retail stores in downtown area of Bacolod, and in the cities of Kabankalan, Himamaylan, and Escalante, among others.
Lea Gonzales, provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry, earlier said the local government units (LGUs) have the duty to act on the alleged proliferation of fake goods.
For his part, Gatuslao said, “We should all work together at this point. If they say they don’t have the power to apprehend, then so be it. But they have the power to monitor and inform. We need all concerned agencies to assist each other in whatever capacity they can to protect the consumer.”
A joint public hearing is set on Wednesday.