ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo (Facebook)

ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo is batting for all basic food items to have a suggested retail price (SRP) in order to prevent certain businessmen from manipulating their prices.

The Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidate issued this appeal to the Department of Agriculture (DA) in a statement Sunday, March 2.

“Inaabuso kasi ng ilang mga negosyante tulad ng mga middleman o mga broker ang presyo ng ilang pagkain dahilan para surmirit ang presyo nito sa merkado o mga palengke,” Tulfo said.

(Some businessmen like middlemen or brokers abuse the prices of some food items, which cause price hikes in the market.)

“Kasi kung susuriin ng mabuti, mura ang benta sa farm gate o yung mga producer ng mga bigas, gulay, itlog at karne ng mga manok at baboy pero pagdating sa palengke presyong ginto na ito,” explained Tulfo, the House deputy majority leader for communications.

(Because if we study it carefully, producers of rice, vegetables, eggs, and meat like pork and poultry sell at low farm gate prices but these suddenly turn into gold when reach the marketplace.)

He added, “Tumataas na ang presyo pagdaan sa kamay ng mga middleman o traders bago pa ipasa sa retailers na nasa mga palengke.”

(The price goes up once the goods reach the middlemen or traders, before it the retailers in the markets get their hands on them.)

The lawmaker is suggesting to the DA to place suggested retail prices (SRP) on basic food items with prices that are always rising such as rice, chicken, pork, fish, vegetables and other commodities.

The aspiring senator said this would prevent the manipulation of prices. 

In the congressional hearings on the high prices of commodities that were held during the past few months, it was revealed that middlemen and those engaged in cartel are the ones dictating the prices of basic food items such as rice. 

Tulfo added that once the prices of these commodities stabilize, the DA can remove their SRPs.