DTI orders price freeze in two drought-hit Oriental Mindoro towns

Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday issued two price freeze bulletins covering the towns of Bulalacao and Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro, which have been separately placed under a state of calamity by their local governments due to severe and prolonged drought.

The DTI bulletin for Bulalacao took effect last Feb. 26, while that for Mansalay began on March 7.

Both orders will be in effect for 60 days starting their respective dates of effectivity, as mandated under Section 6 of Republic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act, according to the government agency.

“[The] DTI would like to emphasize that individuals who violate these regulations will be subject to penalties, including imprisonment for a duration of one to 10 years, or a fine ranging from P5,000 to as much as P1 million,” the DTI said in a statement on Monday.

The DTI said its provincial monitoring and enforcement teams would also “intensify their efforts to monitor the pricing and availability of essential goods within the department’s jurisdiction.”

READ: Oriental Mindoro town’s state of calamity shows El Niño’s impact

The DTI added that the measures were being implemented to ensure that businesses and establishments in these towns would comply with the government-mandated imposed price freeze.

Basic goods

The bare necessities under the DTI mandate include rice, corn, fresh eggs, fresh pork, beef, poultry meat and bread.

Also included in this category are canned fish and other marine products, processed milk, coffee, bottled water, laundry soap, detergent, candles and salt.

The drought in Bulalacao caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon has damaged most of the town’s rice and onion crops, prompting the municipal government to place the town in a state of calamity on Feb. 26, making it the first locality to do so, and followed by Mansalay, its neighboring town, on March 7.

The Bulalacao agriculture office has reported that the drought damaged rice and onion fields in the municipality, with losses initially placed at P87 million.

Mansalay, a coastal farming town like Bulalacao, had tallied at least 1,096.92 hectares of damaged crops, with 740 rice farmers affected and estimated losses amounting to P418.35 million.