SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Antique provincial office said they found no problem with the compliance of establishment owners to the Automatic Price Ceiling (APC).
DTI started to conduct a daily monitoring of the prices of prime and basic commodities since the implementation of the APC on August 20.
Glen Fernando, DTI Antique Trade and Industry Development Specialist, said in an interview on Wednesday the APC was implemented after Antique was placed under state of calamity in August 9.
“The APC will take effect for 60 days since August 20 unless lifted earlier,” he said.
He said the Provincial Price Monitoring Council for which the DTI is the vice chair and secretariat may decide to lift the APC depending on how fast the local situation returns to normal.
“We are sending DTI personnel to monitor the major establishment everyday also so that we can closely monitor their compliance,” Fernando said.
He said the DTI has three job orders designated to monitor prices aside from the personnel of established “Go Negosyo” Centers in the province who are also doing the monitoring of prices of basic commodities in supermarkets, grocery stores, and even in the wet markets.
Meanwhile, he said there was good compliance when the APC was implemented in San Jose de Buenavista starting August 6.
The town was placed under state of calamity August 3 due to flooding that affected its barangays brought about by the southwest monsoon rains.
The APC is intended to ensure that the prices of basic commodities will not go up as the place is under state of calamity. (Annabel Consuelo Petinglay/PNA)
