Mayor reactivates price coordinating council

September 2, 2018 Metro BLISTT

Mayor Mauricio Domogan ordered the reactivation of the City Price Monitoring Council to oversee measures for the protection of consumers against the negative effects of the surge in prices of basic commodities triggered by the spate of weather disturbances and the rise in the country’s inflation rate.
As per Administrative Order No. 121, the mayor will chair the council with City Treasurer Alex Cabarrubias as action officer with the following as members: Dept. of Trade and Industry Baguio-Benguet provincial director, city council committee on market, trade and commerce chair, Baguio City Police Office director, public order and safety division chief, presidents of the Baguio-Benguet Groceries and Supermarket Association, Baguio-La Trinidad Hardware and Electrical Association and Baguio-Benguet Traders and Entrepreneurs Association and the Food and Drugs Administration Cordillera representative.
The council will be tasked to conduct regular inspections of public and private markets and rice warehouses including the weighing scales and price tags in all retail outlets and wet markets.
It will coordinate with government agencies to prevent unwarranted price increases and hoarding of commodities, formulate policies and measures to keep prices at reasonable levels and to address and mitigate hoarding and unauthorized price increases.
The body will also take charge of activating hotlines, consumer complaints desk and Timbangan ng Bayan points, deputization of barangay officials and non-government organizations to monitor abnormal price movements and the setting up and regular updating of price billboards.
The mayor authorized the council to meet once a month and whenever necessary “to mitigate the effects of the price increases especially during emergency situations.
“The law requires executive action among local government officials to address potential hoarding and overpricing of essential basic commodities for the benefit of the general public and to spare them from the abuses of unscrupulous and enterprising traders and entrepreneurs,” the mayor noted. AILEEN P. REFUERZO / ABN