THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Occidental has mobilized business counselors of its Negosyo Centers to monitor the price and supply of basic goods as well as medical supplies in the province especially during this time of calamity due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Rachel Nufable, officer-in-charge provincial director of DTI-Negros Occidental, said 23 business counselors are currently augmenting the personnel doing the regular monitoring.
The business counselors are assigned at the 23 Negosyo Centers operating in 22 localities in the province.
These are in cities of Bacolod, Kabankalan, Sagay, San Carlos, Victorias, La Carlota, Himamaylan, Bago, Sipalay, Cadiz, Escalante, Talisay and Silay, and towns of Hinigaran, Isabela, Hinoba-an, La Castellana, Cauayan, E.B. Magalona, Binalbagan, San Enrique and Pontevedra.
Nufable recalled that a 60-day automatic price control is currently taking effect in the province following the declaration of state of public health emergency by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“We continue to urge our retail stores to comply with the price freeze which is mandated under Republic Act 7581 or Price Act,” she added.
DTI-Negros Occidental officials earlier conducted and emergency meeting with representatives of various retailers, mostly supermarkets, in the province.
The meeting is aimed at discussing the prevailing market situation, particularly the price and supply of basic necessities and medical products like mask and alcohol covered by the prize freeze.
Retailers assured the agency that there’s no manipulation of price and supply of these goods in the local market.
The scarcity in the supply of masks and alcohol was resulted from “panic buying” by the consumers due to the scare brought by Covid-19, they added.
Meanwhile, it can be recalled that DTI-Negros Occidental has already issued automatic price control reference for Bacolod City and other key cities like Cadiz, Sagay, San Carlos and Kabankalan..
The reference contains the “ceiling” or price range which the stores should follow in selling basic goods.
The commodities under the DTI monitoring are canned sardines, milk, coffee, detergent or laundry soap, bread, instant noodles, and water in bottles and container.