CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Department of Trade and Industry in Central Visayas (DTI-7) has already started monitoring Noche Buena products in malls and supermarkets as Christmas season draws near.
Ines Cajegas, chief of the consumer protection division of DTI-Cebu Province told CDN Digital that for now, their monitoring will focus only on its supply for the said products. She revealed that until now, their central office has not yet issued a recent suggested retail price (SRP) for Noche Buena products.
“We’re not yet enforcing because [we didn’t receive any] recent issuance of the SRP for Noche Buena (products). But our foot patrol are already on the field. [We’re looking at the] availability of these products and how much are they selling it, but they are not yet doing the formal enforcement,” Cajegas said.
Cajegas added that they are expecting that the new SRP for Noche Buena products will be available within this month.
Cajegas is hopeful that despite the health crisis due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, consumers would still purchase Noche Buena products so that they can prepare something for Christmas.
She also encouraged mall and supermarket owners to bring back the confidence of consumers through ensuring their safety by implementing the health and safety protocols to avoid the spread of the virus.
“We cannot erase Christmas, but people are now cautious, they are conscious of the risk that they are taking when they go to crowded malls or supermarkets,” she added.
Aside from Noche Buena items, Cajegas said that they will also start monitoring Christmas lights being sold by ensuring that Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) and Philippine Standard (PS) marks are present in these items.
/bmjo
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