The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) apprehended a seller at the Carbon Market for selling 10 liters of drinking water for P300. CDN Digital photo | Delta Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Cebu City government has begun going after sellers and retailers who are overpricing essential goods here.
On the evening of December 28, 2021, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) caught a seller in the Carbon Market selling 10 liters of drinking water for P300.
The seller sought for witness protection and anonymity, but in an interview with CDN Digital, she said that she sourced the water from a nearby bodega.
“Ila baligya sa amoa kay P250 man. Gikan man daw na sa Cagayan,” she said.
The price of a 10-liter container of drinking water is normally around P90-P100.
The seller said she only sold the water for a profit because she purchased the water at a high price, too.
Lawyer Gerry Carillo, the Disaster Risk Council chairperson, said they had to crackdown on these sellers because they have manipulated the prices of commodities creating a “fake shortage.”
“They manipulated the supply to increase the demand,” said Carillo.
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Those apprehended will be filed charges for violating Republic Act 7394 or Consumer Act of the Philippines.
They may face penalty of P5,000 to P1 million or jail time of 1 to 15 years.
Carillo said they also went after the bodega where the seller sourced the overpriced water as they believe that there was hoarding here.
“Mao na atong imbestigaran because naa ra gyod na dinha ilang source,” he said.
Details of the results of the operations have yet to be revealed as of this posting.
The CDRRMO will soon hold a massive operations to hunt down individuals taking advantage of the water situation here.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has signed an order forming the Price Monitoring Council and its Price Monitoring and Enforcement Team (PMET) that will monitor the pricing of goods in the city.
The council will be tasked to ensure that the prices of goods are within the Department of Trade and Industry standards and no sector are selling beyond the suggested price.
They may also suggest or recommend a price freeze during calamities like Typhopn Odette.
/bmjo
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