Personnel of the Cebu City Market Division visited the different public markets for the conduct of price monitoring. | Photo courtesy of the Cebu City Market Division
CEBU CITY, Philippines – At least three vendors from the Punta Princesa Public Market were issued show-cause orders by the Cebu City Legal Office (CLO) for violation of the price freeze order.
The vendors were found to be selling fruits and vegetables with prices increased from 30 to 100 percent from its original prices, said a CLO advisory that was issued this morning, April 29, 2020.
Their violations were discovered during inspections made by the City Market Authority to make sure that items sold in public markets in Cebu City during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) are not overpriced.
Erring vendors have three days to submit their reply CLO.
Labella
Market inspections were also made in compliance with Memorandum No. 2020-277, which Mayor Edgardo Labella issued on 14 April 2020, “thereby ensuring that the good people of Cebu City will not be exploited and become victims of profiteering by unscrupulous businessmen in this time of crisis,” the CLO advisory said.
The implementation of price freeze is also mandated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Health (DOH) with the issuance of Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2020-01 dated 18 March 2020. The Memo Circular penalizes “any person or entity found to have violated the” price freeze” with a fine ranging from P5K to P2M and imprisonment of 5yrs to 15yrs, without prejudice to the prescribed penalties and sanctions issued by the local government units.”
Erring vendors also risk the cancellation of their lease contract and the closure of their stalls as provided for in City Ordinance No. 2486 of the Cebu City Market Code of 2007.
The ordinance “considers this unreasonable and unconscionable price increases as prohibited acts which likewise carries with it an administrative penalty of cancellation of the market lease contract or closure of their market stalls.” /bmjo