Eye Opener
DTI should use their power to curb prices
Pres. GMA says that the implementation of EVAT will not affect prices of basic commodities. But Madam President, prices of basic commodities in the local markets are exorbitantly rising! For instance, before the implementation of EVAT last November 1st, IRI-64 white rice was P890 a sack. And after November 1st, the price increased by P240 per sack. At present, the cost of a sack of IRI-64 is P1,100 to P1,200 per sack while other varieties of rice plummeted to an increase of P200 to P290 per sack.
Basic commodities like tomatoes, onions, garlic, dried fish, meat and pork increased from 5% to 10% and the most affected ones are the laborers and low income group. DTI and the City Price Monitoring Task Force are supposed to see to it that only those commodities covered by EVAT are to increase by 10%. The government price monitoring czars should have police powers to curtail the unscrupulous merchants from unreasonably raising prices at the expense of the poor. Are violators of the EVAT law not subject to penalty or closure of stores whenever they are found violating the unpopular EVAT law?
The DTI and the City Price Monitoring Task Force personnel are probably going to the markets but how come that merchants have no respect for them? One thing sure is that local merchants know the DTI and City Price Monitoring Task Force inspectors and when they come and inspect the prices, the dishonest merchants will no doubt tell them that their prices are low though customers are experiencing difficulty in making both ends meet with their limited budget. The surest way to detect the dishonest merchants and businessmen is to let unknown DTI or City Price Monitoring Task Force inspect the market to catch unscrupulous merchants defy the EVAT law.
Before, many unscrupulous merchants say that they increased prices not because of the EVAT law but due to the increase of prices of crude oil. Now that prices of crude oil have gone down for three or four times already this month, prices of basic commodities keep on increasing! Unless stiff penalty is handed down to dishonest merchants and businessmen, the poor will continue to suffer and we hope that what is happening in France today will not be experienced in the Philippines where millions of Euro dollar have been lost to property damage including lives.
DTI use your regulatory or police power and through the cooperation of the City Mayor, impose sanctions whenever necessary to protect our poor customers.