Don’t jack up prices of face shields –DTI warns retailers

The Department of Trade and Industry-Cebu has warned unscrupulous retailers against jacking up the prices of face shields now that the IATF has required its use when people go out of their homes. | Inquirer photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-7 warned face shield retailers not to take advantage of the order of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases requiring the public to always wear face shield upon leaving their homes.

Ines Cajegas, chief of the Consumers Protection Division of DTI-Cebu Province, said that retailers should comply with the suggested retail price (SRP) that was set by the Department of Health (DOH) for non-medical face shields.

Cajegas said that based on the order issued by the DOH in August, face shields should only be sold at P26 – P50 per piece.

However, retailers of face shields in Cebu can add up to ten percent of its price for the distribution cost.

“I’d like to notify the public, the sellers especially, not to increase the price of face shields. Although this is not DTI’s domain, we are helping DOH in implementing and monitoring. There is still that SRP, suggested retail price for a face shield, for non-medical grade face shield, for community use, way back in August,” Cajegas said.

She added that the price of other types of face shields is not regulated and the agency has left it to the consumers to choose which type of face shields they would prefer to use.

“DTI will be keeping our eyes on the price movement of these face shields,” she added.

Although, currently, Cajegas said that they have observed the decline in the prices of face shields, wherein some are even sold at P12 per piece. /rcg