SAN JOSE, Antique – An “automatic price ceiling” will soon be imposed among prime and basic commodities in Antique.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan last week placed the province under a state of calamity. Recent rains brought about by the southwest monsoon caused millions of pesos worth of damage to crops.
“The Provincial Price Monitoring Council deemed it necessary to implement a price ceiling,” said Lynna Joy B. Cardinal, a senior specialist at the Department of Trade and Industry-Antique.
The Department of Trade and Industry was still finalizing the automatic price ceiling, Cardinal said on Thursday. She could not yet say when exactly the price ceiling will be imposed.
“[The automatic price ceiling will] be published and disseminated to retailers,” said the DTI official.
Retailers will have to adhere to the price ceiling over the next 60 days or until it is lifted, she added.
The Provincial Price Monitoring Council decided on the need for a price ceiling during a meeting at the capitol on Wednesday.
Southwest monsoon enhanced by tropical depressions “Henry” and “Josie” on July 17-25 and Aug. 2-4, respectively, caused some P31.66 million worth of damage to crops, according to the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist.
But the DTI has not monitored any abrupt increase in the prices of prime and basic commodities so far.
Cardinal said they will monitor establishments daily to make sure the prices of canned sardines, processed milk, coffee, detergent, noodles, and mineral water, among others, will not increase.
Negosyo Centers in 11 of the 18 municipalities in the province will assist in the monitoring, she said.
In addition, “the Office of the Provincial Agriculture, with the help of municipal agriculture officers, will monitor the prices of rice and vegetables,” Cardinal said.
The OPA was currently preparing a list of prices of rice. “Regular milled rice is now P50 per kilogram while well-milled is P55 per kilogram,” Cardinal said. Fancy rice, on the other hand, is P56 per kilogram.
Cardinal said the OPA assured that there was nothing to worry about rice supply – rice planted on around 10,000 hectares of farms in various towns will be up for harvest in the next two weeks. (With a report from PNA/PN)
