ILOILO CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said that prices of “Undas” products like candles and bottled water are stable across Western Visayas.
CANDLES sold in a store for ‘Undas’ in Iloilo City on Thursday, Oct. 31. (Tara Yap)
“Our monitoring results show a stable trend with no significant changes in the suggested retail prices (SRPs) for bottled water and candles since January 2024,” said DTI-6 Regional Director Rachel N. Nufable.
The DTI offices in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces will continue to monitor prices over the long weekend.
Atty. Jazer Miranda, offier-in-charge of the DTI-6 Consumer Protection Division, also said measures are in place to ensure retailers adhere to the SRP and maintain transparency in pricing, with sanctions awaiting non-compliant establishments.
Despite the inflation rate, the DTI-6 said there are certain areas like Iloilo City that have reduced prices of candles anywhere from 1.56 percent to 4.34 percent. Prices of bottled waters also decreased by 12 percent.
However, these prices are not the same as those sold in cemeteries or transport terminals.