April 9, 2020 HILING ng mga mamimili sa Department of Trade and industry Secretary ramon lopez na ipasara ang Super 8 Grocery sa Padre Burgos, 10th Avenue Caloocan City dahil sa pagde discriminate nito sa mga mamimili lalo yaong walang quarantine pass.

“Hindi naman namin hinihingi ang mga paninda nila, bibili nga kami” ayon sa isang mamimili na hindi na nagpabanggit ng pangalan. “Ayaw pa rin nila magpapasok, kahit anong paki usap namin” wika ng isa pang Senior Citizen

 

 

 

Matatandaang sinabi ni DILG Secretary eduardo Ano na kahit wala ng quarantine Pass sa mga bilihan ng pagkain ay maari na dahil discrimination ito sa mga mamimili. ilan ring mga groceries, supermarket at drug stores ang nagpapapasok na at pumapayag na walang quarantine pass sa kanilang mga mamimili kagaya ng Mercury Drug, Ever, Puregold at SM.

Personal na naranasan ng manunulat ang discriminasyong ito sa nasabing grocery nitong April 7, 2020 alas 2 ng hapon at sa kabila ng sinabi na namin na ibinawal na ng DILG ang pagpigil sa mga mamimili na walang dalang quarantine pass, mayabang pa ang guwardiya nila na hindi kami pinapasok,

 

 

Panawagan sa DTI at DILG na aksyunan ninyo ang ganilang mga establisimyento at patawan ng kaukulang parusa, dahil gutom na ang tao at may mga ganyan pang maa arteng tindahan na hindi sumusunod sa awtoridad at hindi ipinaiiral ang pagiging makatao.///Michael balaguer, 09333816694, michaelbalaguer@diaryongtagalog.net Photos from MJ Balaguer

 

 

March 26, 2020 DTI, DA, LGUs to ensure Price Freeze during quarantine

QUEZON CITY – Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez and Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar said they are working closely with local government units (LGUs) to ensure the proper implementation of the price freeze on basic necessities and prime commodities.

The two officials made this assurance after they found many sellers in violation of the price freeze, as mandated in the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2020-01 issued last 18 March 2020. Secretaries Dar and Lopez went around Farmers Market in Cubao on 26 March 2020 for a price inspection.

Following the tripartite release of the JMC by DA, DTI, and the Department of Health, the prices of all agricultural and manufactured basic goods, essential medicines and medical supplies, were frozen at their prevailing prices for sixty (60) days from the declaration of the State of Calamity on 16 March 2020, unless sooner lifted by the President.

Sec. Lopez explained that the marked-up prices were due to the challenges faced during the first few days of implementation of checkpoints in different LGUs. He assured, however, that this has already been addressed in the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases meetings.

“We are continuously coordinating at the local level, with the help of Interior Secretary Año, to ensure the harmonized implementation of the IATF guidelines on the unhampered movement of cargo. Improvements have been reported since Friday of last week and we expect the continuation of this for the following days,” said the trade chief.

He added, “After talking to sellers and market masters, we have learned that there are suppliers who sell these goods at the current retail price. In effect, sellers are forced to increase the prices to still gain some profit. This is why we are calling on traders and suppliers to sell goods at a reasonable price in consideration to our local sellers.”

Secretary Dar noted that farmgate prices for products such as chicken are already below the cost of production, so suppliers should not sell them at such high prices. To address this, DA coordinated with market masters to provide them a list of suppliers that are providing reasonable prices.

Additionally, Secretary Dar urged city chiefs of public markets to implement the Local Price Coordinating Council mechanism, which allows local enforcement units to strictly ensure the price freeze in their respective areas.

 

During the inspection of nearby supermarkets, such as Wellcome Farmers Plaza and Puregold Araneta, Secretary Lopez was glad to see that these establishments were in compliance with the price freeze. He and Secretary Dar also observed that these supermarkets had sufficient supply on their shelves.

“With the improvements in the unimpeded movement of cargo, we can also see the improvements in the grocery stocks of essential food and non-food products. That’s why we reiterate our call for people not to panic buy because we see that supplies are slowly being replenished,” Sec. Lopez said

 

28 March 2020 CAR MSMEs help cope with COVID-19 pandemic

Benguet MSMEs produce facemasks for COVID-19! The municipality of Itogon, Benguet, through the initiative of LARNS Hills Association of Ampucao tailors, has already placed a bulk order of washable facemasks for the local community. LARNS is a recipient of the DTI’s Shared Service Facility program.

Considered as the backbone of the country’s economy, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are well distributed in every place that you find them in food manufacturing, retailing, and distribution among others. In the Cordillera provinces, MSMEs are trying to cope up with the downturn of business resulting from the imposed enhanced community quarantine as a measure of protection and overcoming adversities brought by the coronavirus disease or COVID-19 pandemic. Responding to the needs of the people and inadequacy of suppliers, MSMEs took initiative in producing face masks and face shields for the community, frontliners and health workers.

In Kalinga, more than 3,000 pieces of facemasks are produced in a week while entrepreneurs from other provinces are also sewing masks to augment shortage in the area. Kalinga’s Carol Lines Ethnic Fashion, Balik-Tribo Fashion Accessories, Kinwa Etnika Handicrafts, Jajie’s Native Fashion & Ifka’s Weaving and other members of the Chamber of Kalinga Producers Inc. are also donating their resources, time and effort to frontliners doing extra work to contain the spread of the dreaded COVID-19.

In Mountain Province, members of the Montañosa Weavers Association (MWA), a provincial wide weaver’s organization, Guinzadan Weavers and recipient of sewing machines and looms under DTI’s Shared Service Facility (SSF) program wanted to give back to the community by donating facemasks to Sagada local government. Other SSF Cooperators, such as Guinzadan Weavers Association and Tribeline Cordi, are making washable facemasks available at affordable prices.

For Benguet province, DTI-initiated rolling stores for prime and basic commodities were scheduled in Tuba in coordination with the local government unit reaching Nangalisan in March 24, Camp-4 in March 25, Twin Peaks in March 26 and Taloy in March 27. Items sold in the four-rolling-store activity were provided by Tiong San La Trinidad through the coordination of DTI Baguio-Benguet.

All LGUs activated their Local Price Coordinating Councils as a mechanism to prevent and curb the possibility of price manipulation. As a council, they conduct joint monitoring to cover all basic necessities and prime commodities and other critical products, regardless of agency jurisdiction provided in the Price Act.

The country’s Price Act also maintains that the State provides effective and sufficient protection to consumers against hoarding, profiteering and cartels with respect to the supply, distribution, marketing and pricing of said goods, especially during periods of calamity, emergency, widespread illegal price manipulation and other similar situations.

As defined under Section 3 of the Price Act, “Basic Necessities” include: rice; corn; bread; fresh dried and canned fish and other marine products; fresh pork, beef, and poultry meat; fresh eggs; fresh and processed milk; fresh vegetables; root crops; coffee; sugar; cooking oil; salt; laundry soap; detergents; firewood; charcoal; candles; and drugs classified as essential by the Department of Health.

 

 

 

DTI and CIDG are checking on consumer complaints and feedback from netizens on the exorbitant cost of alcohol, facemasks and thermal scanners.

Criminal charges would be filed against those suspected of overpricing and hoarding medical devices and products like alcohol, medicines, and face masks.

DTI-CAR has already coordinated with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to look into the reported scams and online selling of said medical devices at high prices.

 

 

March 31, 2020 DTI, CIDG, NBI strengthen campaign against hoarders and profiteers

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), along with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), seized a total of over P15 million worth of alcohol, hand sanitizers, face masks, and thermal scanners in separate operations across the country.

“We continue to warn establishments against raising their prices and taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation,” said DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Citing the DTI-CIDG-NBI summary report, the Trade Secretary announced that a total of 62 operations have been conducted nationwide from 18-28 March 2020. NBI conducted 26 operations and arrested 64 individuals while CIDG conducted 36 operations wherein 59 individuals found hoarding and selling overpriced medical supplies have been arrested by authorities.

DTI, together with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Health (DOH), released on 18 March 2020 Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2020-01 to ensure the proper implementation of the price freeze on basic necessities and prime commodities, which shall last for sixty (60) days from the declaration of the State of Calamity on 16 March 2020, unless sooner lifted by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Through the JMC of DTI, DA, and DOH, we reiterate the continuous and strict implementation of the price freeze to prevent hoarding and profiteering for the entire period of the state of calamity,” said Sec. Lopez.

Under the JMC, Local Price Coordination Councils (LPCCs) have also been reactivated to closely monitor the prices of agriculture and fishery products, processed goods, and medicines sold in urban centers nationwide.

The implementing agencies, in coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government, shall ensure that the LPCCs are fully mobilized and operational.

“Our main goal here is to protect our consumers against undue surge in prices, particularly now that the nation is under a state of emergency,” said Sec. Lopez.

“When violators raise the price of basic necessities by even just a few pesos, hundreds, even thousands of Filipinos are heavily affected. That is why we ask for the cooperation of all retailers to strictly abide by the directives of the national government,” he added.

The DTI Consumer Protection Group is closely monitoring the price freeze on basic commodities. Any person or entity found violating the Price Act will be fined between P5,000 and P2 million and face imprisonment between five and 15 years.

As the government further strengthens its quarantine efforts, consumers are enjoined to report business establishments that sell beyond the price freeze by calling hotline 1384 or 1-DTI