GOVERNMENT-IMPOSED price freezes on essential goods could worsen shortages, retailers warned, as supply chains struggle to recover from recent typhoons, a retail player said.
“Price freezes are affecting supply because manufacturers wait to produce, leaving shelves empty,” said Robert Go of Prince Retail Group (PRG). “Better to flood the market with goods than impose controls that risk depleting essentials from shelves due to losses from selling at unreasonably low prices.”
Go said logistics for Cebu remain well-prepared.
“Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we ramped up our own fleets, built distribution centers and commissioned barges on long-term contracts. We can deliver relief goods to affected areas through our PRG Care Foundation, even to swept barangays in Cotcot and Danao,” he said.
However, supply issues persist. Goods from Manila face sudden surges in demand, dwindling stocks and rising manufacturing costs. Rice is in short supply due to halted imports and typhoon-damaged agriculture.
“We are running short and all sectors suddenly need rice,” Go said.
Logistics in Leyte are further strained, with the San Juanico Bridge impassable and 200 trucks queued from Ormoc to Basey, Samar, taking up to a week to cross. Scarcity is also expected for sugar, vegetables and other farm products due to shipping disruptions caused by typhoons Tino and Uwan.
Earlier, the Department of Trade and Industry Cebu Provincial Office intensified its price and supply monitoring after typhoon Tino triggered widespread flooding and prompted a state of calamity declaration in Cebu Province and Cebu City.
The coverage period will be from Nov. 5 to Jan. 4, or for 60 days, unless sooner lifted by the President. / KOC