• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Department of Trade and Industry has approved the request of Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental to implement a price freeze on basic commodities after its state of calamity declaration.
Mayor Benjie Miranda earlier requested the DTI to impose a price freeze to control the prices of commodities in the southern Negros city.
Under Republic Act 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, the DTI is mandated to impose a price freeze on basic commodities to prevent price skyrocketing and hoarding.
This will ensure that business establishments in Kabankalan City will not take advantage of the crisis affecting the residents, Miranda said.
In a letter addressed to the mayor, Lynna Joy Cardinal, DTI-Negros Occidental head, submitted a list of commodities that is covered by an automatic price ceiling.
A report of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist showed that Kabankalan City is the hardest-hit by drought in Negros Occidental, with P99,624,716.80 worth of damage to its rice lands.
The drought affected 20 barangays and 3,430 farmers tilling 2,355.11 hectares of rice fields. | GB
