MANILA – Prices of basic commodities in General Santos City should not be adjusted upward for 60 days following the local government’s declaration of a state of calamity after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated parts of Mindanao on Monday morning.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque told journalists on Tuesday that personnel from the DTI regional office in the affected areas are monitoring price developments daily.
“We’ve already instructed them to make sure that there’s enough food supply, and that prices are stable and don’t move,” she said on the sidelines of the launch of the Philippine Creative Ecosystem National Diagnostic Report in Makati City.
Asked for her reaction to the quality of materials used in buildings that collapsed because of the earthquake, Roque said the DTI has a department that checks the quality of construction materials being sold in the market. However, she noted that the affected structures were already old.
In terms of financing access for micro, small and medium enterprises affected by the calamity, Roque said the DTI has an Enterprise Rehabilitation Fund that businesses may avail themselves of.
Fuel prices
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, during an online briefing earlier in the day, urged the public to report any fuel price hike violations in the affected areas through the e-Gov mobile app so that appropriate action can be taken by government agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Philippine National Police.
“If it’s a clear violation then we will proceed with any legal action against them,” she said. (PNA)