SANTA CRUZ, LAGUNA — The newly hired Price Monitors of the Department of Trade and Industry – Laguna Provincial Office (DTI-Laguna), under the Government Internship Program (GIP) of the Department of Labor and Employment IV-A, have already monitored 102 establishments throughout the Province of Laguna from January 6 to 19, 2023, such as follows:
- Groceries (25.49%)
- Convenience stores (24.51%)
- Supermarkets (23.53%)
- Hardware shops (13.73%)
- Wet markets (12.75%)
The said Price Monitors have been assigned at the Consumer Protection Division of DTI-Laguna. Their main task is to check the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs) under the jurisdiction of DTI.
Based on the monitoring results, it was observed that supplies of BNPCs remain stable. In addition, 94.12% of the 102 establishments monitored were found to be compliant with the suggested retail prices (SRPs), except for six establishments with certain food supplies categorized under BNPCs were observed to have prices higher than the SRPs (above 5% allowance).
Those six establishments with prices beyond the SRPs are located in Calamba City, Kalayaan, Magdalena, Paete, and Pakil. They were served with Letter of Inquiry, the initial action of DTI-Laguna to call the attention of establishments that sell BNPCs with prices higher than the SRPs. Such establishments were also requested to submit their written explanation and possible corrective actions.♦
Date of Release: 7 February 2023