Encouraging active participation on the implementation of price monitoring activities for every local government unit in the region, the Department of Agriculture in Ilocos through the Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) convened the local government units’ price monitoring focal in the four provinces for the orientation on the provision of RA 7581 otherwise known as the Price Act of 1992 as amended in RA 10623 that provides protection to consumers by stabilizing prices of prime and basic commodities.
Conducted successively in the four provinces, with the provinces of Ilocos Sur and La Union as the first two provinces to conduct which was held on April 21-22 and April 26-27, 2022, respectively, the provinces of Pangasinan and Ilocos Norte are scheduled on April 28-29,2022 and May 4-5, respectively.
In her discussion on the provisions of Price Act, its corresponding implementing rules and regulations during the briefing in La Union, Ms. Edilyn Goldara, head of the Agribusiness Industry Support Section of AMAD underscored the importance of price monitoring especially to consumers that would directly benefit in this Act.
According to Ms. Goldara, monitoring the price of basic and prime commodities is an essential activity not only for consumer protection but likewise helps policy and decision makers to formulate sound and effective policies especially in stabilizing prices.
Other than the importance of conducting price monitoring, Ms. Goldara likewise emphasized the lists of basic and prime commodities that needs to be monitored by the participants while noting some of the major trading violations and corresponding penalties that sellers shall have to consider.
Giving emphasis on the role of the price monitoring focals for every cities and municipalities in the region, the creation of the Bantay Presyo Monitoring Team is likewise encourage as they play a great role in stabilizing prices of commodities and supply of agricultural commodities.
Encouraging the participants to observe proper protocol in their price monitoring activities, Ms. Imelda Cornes and Ms. April Joy Abucay, both staff of DA-AMAD likewise explained the standard procedures on data gathering, processing, and analysis that they are conducting to establish a price monitoring standard that is being required for all the 16 regions in the country.
Established 2 years ago which started during the start of pandemic, the price monitoring is a regular activity of the DA-AMAD in coordination with the provincial and municipal/city local government units that requires the price monitoring team to submit price monitored every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.
