DTI, DA intensify price monitoring

The regional offices of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture will be intensifying the monitoring of prices of basic commodities to make sure that price adjustments because of the implementation of the Reformed Value-Added Tax are within reasonable levels.

Zaide Bation of the DTI-Cebu Province said their office is fielding 10 enforcement personnel to conduct daily price monitoring and constantly check that basic goods are not priced exorbitantly in the city.

Bation expressed hopes that the local price coordinating council (LPCC) of the cities of Mandaue, Danao and Lapulapu would be revived especially now that the RVAT has been fully implemented. Only Cebu City has an active local price coordinating council, Bation said.

Consumers who believe commercial establishments have been pricing basic commodities at excessive levels in the guise of the RVAT can immediately file a complaint at the DTI-Cebu office since they have initiated a consumer hotline for such purpose.

Chris Lucero of the DA-7 meanwhile said that their office has been conducting daily price monitoring of agricultural goods in the wet markets particularly at the Carbon and Pasil markets.

Although agricultural products are exempted from the RVAT, Lucero did not discount the possibility that prices of vegetables and meat products will go up due to fuel costs. Lucero, however, pegged the increase to be between P1 to P2 per kilo only. Any substantial increase in the prices of agricultural goods is still based on the law of supply and demand, Lucero added. - Jasmin R. Uy