DTI exec to public: Province has enough supplies

Assistant Secretary Asteria Caberte of the Department of Trade and Industry  (DTI) has advised the public not to panic-buy because there are enough supplies of basic goods in the province. | Futch Anthony Inso

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has admitted that Cebuanos are already in panic-buying mode because of the threat of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The newly appointed DTI Assistant Secretary Asteria Caberte advised the public that there’s no reason to go on panic-buying since the province had enough supplies of basic necessities.

Caberte said that she had also met with the distributors and suppliers, where they assured the agency that the supplies were enough.

“We have enough. So there’s no reason really to panic. Ang maka-create ug problema (The one that will create a problem) is when we buy more than what we need, so maka-cause hinoon na ug (we can instead cause) undue shortage,” she said.

DTI exec on alcohol shortage

The DTI official, however, admitted that some malls and supermarkets were experiencing a shortage in the supply of alcohol, but they had been replenished by the distributors from time to time.

Read more: DTI: Only 2 bottles of disinfectant per buyer

“Because lagi hakuton man sa mga shelves, but dunay supplies. From time to time dunay moabot, dunay mo-replenish,” Caberte said.

Because people will empty the shelves, but we have the supplies. From time to time, supplies will arrive and supplies are replenished.) 

There’s no really a problem,” she added.

She also urged malls and supermarkets to observe their two bottles per transaction policy to ease the shortage of alcohol supply. |dbs