• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
There is adequate food supply with stable prices in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, which is under a state of calamity due to the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.
After the eruption on June 3, the DTI imposed a price freeze in La Castellana for 60 days, which took effect June 4.
DTI Negros Occidental provincial director Lynna Joy Cardinal, who visited La Castellana to monitor the compliance of commercial establishments and retail stores, said the price freeze covers basic necessities such as bread, noodles, canned sardines, milk, bottled water, soap and candles.
The monitoring in La Castellana will be done on a regular basis, she added.
Canlaon City in Negros Oriental was also placed under a state of calamity.
Under Republic Act (RA) 7581 or the Price Act, as amended by RA 10623, prices of basic necessities are automatically frozen at their prevailing prices for 60 days once a state of calamity is declared in an area.
Based on the Price Act, business establishments found to have violated the price freeze will face a penalty of imprisonment for a period of one year to 10 years, or a fine ranging from P5,000 to P1 million or both, at the discretion of the court. | GB
