DTI told to monitor prices of holiday goods

THE Cebu Provincial Board (PB) asked the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to monitor prices of food items during the holiday season.

In a resolution approved during their regular session last week, PB Member Arleigh Sitoy said there are “opportunistic” merchants who sell their goods at prices beyond prevailing market rates.

“As Christmas day nears, the PB finds it necessary to request the DTI to monitor the prices of noche buena (Christmas feast) items to ensure that everything is still fairly priced for the benefit of the public,” the resolution read.

In a separate resolution, Sitoy called for the creation of price watch mobile hotlines which consumers can use to report abuses in the market.

Sitoy said it would be ideal for consumers to report these abuses to stop stores  from overcharging.

“As Christmas season approaches, the prices of commodities usually purchased for noche buena tends (sic) to increase at the mercy of some opportunistic merchants,” Sitoy said in his resolution.

Sitoy also asked the DTI to conduct random inspections in stores selling various goods to check on the sale of substandard Christmas lights.

“We strive for a fire-free celebration by eliminating such substandard Christmas lights from the equation and ensure that all Christmas lights sold in the province bear the seal of approval of the necessary agencies and are safe to use,” the board member added.

The DTI started its inspections last October. The agency reminds consumers to buy products that bear the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) and Philippine Standard (PS) marks to ensure their reliability and safety.