Mayor Greg Gasataya, chairperson of the Bacolod City-Local Price Coordinating Council (BC-LPCC), and Department of Trade and Industry – Negros Occidental Provincial Director Lynna Joy Cardinal signed an Automatic Price Control (APC) agreement on Monday, Nov. 10, to strictly enforce a price freeze on basic necessities across major establishments.
This follows the city’s declaration of a state of calamity last week.
City Administrator Mark Steven Mayo said that the Local Price Coordinating Council (LPCC) has convened to implement measures to ensure compliance with the automatic price freeze on basic necessities.
Joint inspections will be conducted at department stores and grocery outlets in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Health (DOH), Mayo said.
“Actions will be taken following the results of inspections. If violations are found, the council has the authority to issue show cause orders and recommend the filing of charges,” Mayo said.
Mayo clarified, however, that not all products are covered by the automatic price ceiling, which excludes generator sets that have become in-demand items during calamities.
“The council is focusing primarily on the main sources such as department stores and grocery chains. The bottom line is to protect consumers from those taking advantage of the situation.”
Members of the Local Price Coordination Council include representatives from the City Legal Office, City Administrator’s Office, Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Bacolod City Police Office and other key departments.
Under Republic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act, the prices of basic necessities in Bacolod City are automatically placed under price control or price freeze at their prevailing rates. Unless sooner lifted by the President, the price freeze will remain in effect for up to 60 days or until the situation normalizes.
Section 16 of the Price Act states that any person found violating Sections 6 or 7 shall face imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than ten years, or pay a fine of ₱5,000 to ₱1,000,000, or both, at the court’s discretion.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reminds business owners to strictly comply with the price freeze and urges consumers to report any violations to the DTI–Negros Occidental Provincial Office at (034) 441-3644.*