LA UNION SP ENSURES STABILITY OF PRICES OF COMMODITIES
By: Rhea Matilde A. Ballesteros, GPC-SP | Photos By: GPC-SP | Date: January 25, 2021
As a follow up of the ocular inspection conducted during the holidays and as a legislative action on pressing and timely issue on the high prices of basic commodities in various business establishments in the province, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Committee on Trade, Commerce and Industry spearheaded by Board Member (BM) Jonathan Justo A. Orros with the Committees on Ways and Means, Laws, Rules and Privileges and Information and Communications Technology conducted a joint committee hearing through video conferencing on January 25, 2021.
The joint committees discussed several proposed legislative measures that will help stabilize prices and supply of basic necessities and prime commodities in the province. The proposed measures include enjoining the Local Government Units to re-activate or organize their respective Local Price Coordinating Councils and perform monthly monitoring and inspection to public and private markets and groceries and submit reports to concerned national and local agencies.
Likewise, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)– La Union Provincial Office is requested to post in their official website or other social media platforms the result of their weekly price monitoring activity and the supply situation of commodities in the province for the information and awareness of the public.
During the hearing, BM Orros informed that the proposed measures were the result of the price monitoring and inspection conducted by DTI and SP Committee on Trade, Commerce and Industry in the two supermarkets in the City of San Fernando on December 17, 2020.
To aid the SP Members in reviewing the proposed measures, DTI Provincial Director Merlie Membrere, Local Economic Enterprise and Investment Promotion Unit Head Charito Dator and Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator Representative Roshelle Mamaril were invited as speakers on the said matter.
Also discussed during the hearing were the price and supply situation of basic necessities and prime commodities in the province; programs of the DTI that provide consumers with safe quality and reasonable prices of products; consumer’s welfare and protection; and price stabilization programs.
The three resolutions that were proposed were all approved by the committees and the same were recommended for adoption during the next SP Regular Session.
