DTI: Diskwento Caravan sales picking up in Region 8

CEBU, Philippines - Now that the Diskwento Caravans of the Department of Trade and Industry that have been held in calamity-stricken areas in Eastern Visayas have generated millions of sales, it signifies that typhoon victims are now slowly getting back on their feet.

This was shared by DTI-Region 7 director Asteria Caberte who said that the gradual recovery of the affected families in Region 8 could be attributed to the influx of remittances from their family members and friends from the country and even abroad.

“Definitely, they are slowly bouncing back,” she said.

Moreover, international and domestic relief aid is pouring into the typhoon-hit areas such as Tacloban City.

Caberte observed the enthusiastic response from local consumers and people coming from neighboring towns who came to the recent Diskwento Caravans conducted in Leyte and Samar.

The Diskwento Caravan is a flagship project of  DTI where basic necessities and prime commodities such as bottled water, canned goods, coffee, milk, noodles, rice, biscuits, bread, condiments and personal care products are sold at discounted prices.

It is designed to uphold the rights of consumers to have access to prime goods and address the demand for basic commodities in calamity-stricken areas

The Diskwento Caravans in Maasin and Baybay, Leyte reached P1.9 million and 4,147 transactions last November 18 and 19. The successful run of the Diskwento Caravan in Ormoc City last November 14 also generated around 8,803 transactions and reached a total of P833,743 in sales.

Caberte emphasized the significance of conducting Diskwento Caravan in calamity areas in ensuring local consumers to have enough access to essential goods and stabilized prices of basic commodities in the midst of the crisis.

Caberte and her team conducted the Diskwento Caravan in Tacloban City yesterday after organizing a series of the program in Ormoc City, Baybay in Leyte, Calbayog in Samar, Maasin in Leyte and Catbalogan last week.

Tacloban City is considered to be the one of the worst-hit areas in the region after the super typhoon Yolanda entered the Philippine area of responsibility last November 8. —/JOB (FREEMAN)