President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has issued a direct mandate to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to ensure the stability of the nation’s food supply through intensified coordination with manufacturers and suppliers.
The directive focuses on maintaining a consistent flow of goods to prevent shortages and stabilize the prices of necessities and prime commodities (BNPC). DTI Secretary Maria Cristina Roque announced the order on Friday following a joint inspection with the President at the Century Pacific distribution center in Laguna.
Secretary Roque emphasized that the DTI is actively engaging with the private sector to guarantee that inventories remain robust.
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Supply Buffer: The department is currently verifying that manufacturing facilities and grocery stores maintain a food supply sufficient for at least one to two months.
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Field Inspections: DTI officials are conducting regular rounds of manufacturing hubs and retail outlets to monitor stock levels of items on the DTI’s controlled list.
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Nationwide Vigilance: Monitoring is being conducted on a daily basis across 18 regional offices to ensure compliance and immediate response to market fluctuations. “The directive is to constantly communicate with manufacturers and different industries to ensure there is enough supply for the people,” Secretary Roque stated. “We are focused on groceries and supermarkets to make sure there are no price increases for basic necessities.”
Addressing concerns over market manipulation, Secretary Roque confirmed that the DTI’s dedicated monitoring task forces have not detected any cases of hoarding to date. The President noted that various processors and suppliers have provided formal assurances regarding the sufficiency of their stocks despite current global and local economic challenges.
The inspection at Century Pacific—a leading producer of canned fish, meat, and dairy products—highlighted the critical role of logistics in food security. With seven state-of-the-art manufacturing hubs and 26 warehouses nationwide, the facility serves as a benchmark for the scale of operations required to support the administration’s food sufficiency goals.
The national government reaffirms its commitment to protecting Filipino consumers by maintaining a transparent, well-supplied, and fairly priced marketplace.
