MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry has been urged to monitor the prices of cooling appliances after a lawmaker raised concerns about some stores raising prices to take advantage of the high demand during the hot summer season.
In a statement on Thursday, Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman said that the affordability of appliances like electric fans and air conditioning sets must be ensured as many households may need them as the heat index in several areas continues to rise.
Roman relayed that several consumers have already noticed a spike in the prices of these appliances as the summer season progressed.
“Ang electric fan dapat ang pinakamurang pamatid init na abot kaya kahit ng mga pamilyang Pinoy na salat sa yaman. Hindi dapat mabutas ang kanilang mga bulsa para lang makaramdam ng kaginhawaan ngayong panahon ng tag-init,” the lawmaker, who heads the House committee on women’s rights and gender equality, said.
(Electric fans should be the cheapest and most affordable cooling appliance, even for common Filipino families. They should not spend so much just to feel relief this summer.)
“Kung ‘di mababantayan ang presyo niyan, baka liparin na tayong lahat dahil hindi na makayang bilhin,” she added.
(If the price cannot be monitored, we might be in danger because we can no longer afford it.)
Roman also stressed that heat problems in the country should be taken seriously by authorities, as several cases of heat exhaustion and heat stroke have been recorded during this hot, dry season.
EXPLAINER: How to beat ‘heatstroke’ during the summer season
Last April 18, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said it expects an 80 percent chance that an El Niño will be declared between June to August 2023.
During the active phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean are expected to rise, causing dry spells and droughts in affected countries like the Philippines. This may also lead to heat waves that can have a detrimental effect on public health.
READ: Pagasa issues El Niño Watch; urges public to prepare for warm, dry season
“Nakababahala na may mga kababayan tayong nanganganib ang buhay dahil dito. Kailangang tratuhin na ito bilang seryosong problema na dapat solusyunan ng mga ahensyang may sakop nito,” Roman said.
(It is concerning that there are Filipinos whose lives are in danger because of the heat. This should be considered a serious problem that the appropriate agencies should address.)
Last Friday, Pagasa said that the heat index for last weekend may have reached past 40 degrees Celsius. A day before this announcement from Pagasa, an ambulant vendor from Tabuk, Kalinga died due to heat stroke.