The Department of Agriculture is tightening its monitoring of wet markets, intensifying surveillance to keep food prices in check as surging Christmas demand puts pressure on consumers’ wallets.
The DA on Thursday led a joint price and supply inspection at the Muñoz Public Market, moving ahead of the holiday rush and signaling tougher enforcement, with Assistant Secretary Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra spearheading the activity alongside the Quezon City government, Food Terminal Inc., the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Philippine National Police.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA will further ramp up price monitoring as Christmas Day approaches, vowing to keep retailers in line and consumers protected. “There will be no letup in our campaign for fair food prices — even, and especially, during the holidays,” he said.
Catching violations early in the inspection, authorities issued show-cause orders to 12 onion stalls found selling above the Maximum Suggested Retail Price. While the DA has pegged the cap at P150 per kilo for red onions and P120 per kilo for white onions, prices on the ground — in several cases — were still elevated to P200 per kilo, albeit sharply lower than the levels in recent days.
Widening the crackdown, and as foot traffic swelled, inspectors also cited 20 pork stalls for selling beyond government-set MSRPs of P370 per kilo for liempo and P330 per kilo for kasim and pigue.
Asec. Guevarra stressed that continuous market monitoring is crucial, particularly during the Christmas season when demand for basic food commodities significantly increases. “Hindi tayo magdadalawang-isip na magpatupad ng kaukulang aksyon laban sa mga nagbebenta na lumalabag sa itinakdang MSRP. The show-cause orders give them the opportunity to explain, but at the same time, this sends a clear message that overpricing will not be tolerated,” Guevarra said.
Asec. Guevarra said monitoring will remain continuous and be further stepped up, reinforcing the DA’s push to stabilize prices, secure adequate food supply, and strictly enforce price rules to protect consumers. “Mahalaga ang tuloy-tuloy na price and supply monitoring lalo na ngayong papalapit ang Pasko. This ensures that sapat ang suplay, patas ang presyo, at hindi naaabuso ang ating mga mamimili sa panahong mas mataas ang demand,” she added.
