The San Juan City local government, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Department of Agriculture (DA) held a joint price monitoring inspection at the Agora Market on Tuesday, Feb. 21, as part of its efforts in ensuring that all vendors in the city are following the mandated suggested retail price (SRP) list issued by the national government.
San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) President Francis Zamora led the market inspection, together with MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, DTI Asec. Ann Claire Cabochan, and DA Asec. Kristine Evangelista.
"This inspection is upon my request because I want to make sure that our constituents are not being sold overpriced commodities," Zamora explained.
According to him, vendors who are found selling overpriced products will be penalized under City Ordinance 32, series of 2008 or the Ordinance Creating the Local Price Control Coordinating Council. First time violators will be fined P2,000, second time offenders will be fined P3,000, third time offenders will be fined P5,000, and their permits will be revoked.
The San Juan City Police, the Business Permit and License Office (BPLO), and the city's Task Force Disiplina are tasked to implement the said ordinance.
Zamora explained that Agora Market is the only public market operating in San Juan and is privately operated. The city government also has a Market Master assigned to make sure all city ordinances are implemented in the market.
On Feb. 10, the mayor said that the MMC will immediately convene to tackle the increasing number of traders and vendors who are not following the suggested retail prices (SRP) on various goods and commodities issued by the DTI.
In an interview with DZBB, Zamora said: “I will make sure that we will discuss this as soon as possible. Hindi ko na hihintayin ang next meeting namin, ngayon pa lang I will coordinate with our fellow mayors and Chairman (Romando) Artes of the MMDA and see how we can coordinate with the national government agencies departments (I will no longer wait for our next meeting, I will immediately coordinate with our fellow mayors and Chairman Artes of the MMDA and see how we can coordinate with the national government agencies),” Zamora said.
“Yung sinasabing hindi pagsunod, it’s just a matter of creating a policy that the LGUs (local government units) and the national government can follow (The issue regarding not following the SRP, it’s just a matter of creating a policy that the LGUs and the national government can follow),” he added.
The mayor also urged the public to report the vendors who are not following the SRP bulletin.
“Kapag meron kayong ganyang mga nababalitaan, huwag kayong matakot na magsabi lalo na yung mga taga San Juan. Kung meron kayong nakikita sa ating Agora Market na nagbebenta ng mga alanganing halaga eh ipaalam ninyo sa akin. You document it, you make sure na when the complaint reaches me eh meron tayong sapat na ebidenysa din para maaksyunan natin agad (If you know or receive news about this matter, please do not be afraid to inform us especially to my constituents in San Juan. If ever you see vendors or traders who are selling goods that are far beyond what the SRP bulletin allows, report it to me immediately. You document it, you make sure that when the complaint reaches me, we have enough evidence for us to take action against it),” Zamora added.
The DTI released its latest SRP bulletin on Feb. 8 on some basic commodities such as canned meat, sardines, noodles and bread, the prices of which have gone up by as much as 10 percent.
DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo explained that the latest SRP bulletin showed there were price increases for 76 shelf keeping units (SKUs), while 141 SKUs retained their prices from last year’s August bulletin.
Castelo added that the new SRP bulletin was released following the DTI’s long validation review and study.
“We are compelled to allow price adjustments of some manufactured BNPCs to make sure that manufacturers continue to produce these fast-moving consumer goods,” she said.
Manufacturers have previously sought for price increases on certain products due to the surging prices of raw materials and services.
On Feb. 7, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the increase in consumer prices further accelerated inflation in January, defying all expectations that it had peaked last December, as food prices remained elevated, coupled with costlier utilities and housing rentals.
Headline inflation accelerated further to 8.7 percent in the first month of 2023, surpassing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ forecast of 7.5 percent to 8.3 percent, and the government’s target range of 2.0 percent to 4.0 percent.
Based on the PSA data, the January inflation reading was the highest in over 14-years, or since the 9.1 percent recorded in November 2008. It was also higher than the 8.1 percent and 3.0 percent registered in December and January 2022, respectively.
The January inflation rate came as a surprise to government and private sector analysts who predicted that the rate of increase in consumer prices had peaked last December after accelerating for four consecutive months.