THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has expanded the list of basic commodities subject to a suggested retail price (SRP), including more types of meat and vegetables following the series of late-year typhoons that hit the Philippines.
In an administrative circular, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar issued the new price-control list applicable to wet markets and supermarkets in the National Capital Region.
“These events have resulted in the tightening of supply, resulting in the declaration of a state of calamity in Luzon,” Mr. Dar said.
“In order not to aggravate the current difficulties of the Filipino people who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the series of calamities, there is a need to manage prices for basic necessities in the market,” he added.
The government is authorized by law to cap prices during emergency periods.
The price caps are listed as follows:
Beef rump – P380 per kilogram
Beef brisket – P300 per kilogram
Ampalaya (Bitter gourd) – P80 per kilogram
Sitaw (String beans) – P80 per kilogram
Native pechay (Chinese hit cabbage) – P80 per kilogram
Squash – P30 per kilogram
Eggplant – P60 per kilogram
Tomato – P100 per kilogram
Cabbage (Scorpio) – P60 per kilogram
Carrots – P80 per kilogram
Baguio beans – P100 per kilogram
White potato – P70 per kilogram
Baguio pechay – P60 per kilogram
Chayote – P30 per kilogram
The DA derives its pricing authority over agricultural goods from Republic Act No. 7581 or the Price Act.
The DA and other government agencies recently implemented a price freeze on selected agricultural and fishery commodities after President Rodrigo R. Duterte placed Luzon under a state of calamity due to the effects of typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses.
Some of the products covered by the price freeze include milkfish, tilapia, sugar, pork, and chicken, among others. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave