COVID-19 opportunism: NBI in Bohol arrests woman selling alcohol at overprice

TAGBILARAN CITY—National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents on Wednesday (April 15) arrested a woman believed to be selling alcohol here at an overprice.

Marie Grace Mangaron Lacaba, 30, a resident of Barangay Capayas in San Miguel town, has been posting on her Facebook account her offer to sell 70 percent isopropyl alcohol, a basic sanitizing medium which is under price control.

Buyers, she said on her posts, have to send her a private message to know the price of the alcohol.

After reading her post, the NBI hatched an operation against Lacaba, said lawyer Rennan Augustus Oliva, director of the Bohol office of the NBI.

An undercover agent ordered three bottles of alcohol from the suspect through her social media account.

During the meet-up, Lacaba gave only two bottles to the undercover agent since she had already disposed of her other products before the sting operation.

Oliva said Lacaba sold the alcohol at P280 per liter, higher than the P137.50 ceiling price set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Lacaba told the NBI that she was just a retailer and that she bought the product for P250 per liter. She, however, didn’t disclose her source.

Oliva said Lacaba would be charged with violating Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act.

Those found violating the Price Act will be fined between P5,000 and P2 million and face imprisonment of between five and 15 years.

Edited by TSB