Several meat vendors at the Commonwealth Market have closed their stalls on the first day of implementation of the price ceiling for pork and chicken in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to some meat dealers and traders, a number of transporters cannot sell their products in accordance with the directive mandating a cap of ₱270 per kilogram of kasim or pigue, ₱300 for liempo, and ₱160 for chicken.
Vendors said they will have little profit or possible losses if they have to comply with the ceiling, considering that butchered meat go down to retailers at ₱260. The expenses for labor, transport, and rent are also factored in.
Sellers of poultry have also opted to stop operations because the farm gate price of chicken is ₱131. Considering the cost for transport and labor, the possibility of earning is almost nil.
Starting February 8, the Bantay Presyo Task Group will be conducting inspections to ensure the compliance with the price ceiling. Based on the Price Act, violators of price ceilings may face imprisonment of up to 10 years or may be fined between ₱5,000 to ₱1 million. – Report from Cleizl Pardilla
