In photo from left: Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez and Agriculture, Secretary William Dar together with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. conducted a special price and supply monitoring of agricultural basic goods last February 09 at Commonwealth Market (Photo from DTI/OSEC)
By Alithea De Jesus
Following the concerns on the shortage of supplies of pork and chicken in the Philippines that prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to impose a price ceiling on meat and increase importation to stabilize the price and supply, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez and Agriculture Secretary William Dar together with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. conducted a special price and supply monitoring of agricultural basic goods last February 09.
The monitoring activity was conducted at the Commonwealth Market with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte-Alimurung.  The team saw price compliance among sellers. DA vows to provide more support to producers to improve supply and price compliance, while Mayor Belmonte-Alimurung also announced the temporary waiver of QC LGU market fees to help market sellers in complying with the price ceiling.
After their visit at the Commonwealth Market, Secretaries Dar and Lopez and MMDA Chairman Abalos continued the price and supply monitoring at SM Hypermarket, Shaw Blvd. Branch with Mandaluyong City Mayor Carmelita Abalos.
The Trade Secretary noted that the two markets were able to follow the price ceiling as indicated in Executive Order No. 146, s. 2021 or the Imposition of Mandated Price Ceiling on Selected Pork and Chicken Products in the National Capital Region. He also expressed confidence in the strengthened efforts of the newly created Sub-Task Group on Economic Intelligence to help in preventing illicit trading activities.
