Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 21) — Suggested Retail Prices will be imposed on basic farm and fishery products in Metro Manila starting Feb. 24 to protect consumers against illegal price manipulations by traders, the Department of Agriculture announced Friday as it warned it will enforce price ceilings when necessary.
An administrative circular signed by Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Thursday sets SRPs on selected pork, chicken, fish, sugar, garlic and onion products.
“The circular covers Metro Manila markets only. The implementing rules and regulations also direct the DA to determine, recommend, and enforce price ceilings when necessary,” Dar said.
DA Spokesperson Noel Reyes also told CNN Philippines in a phone call that retailers can sell the following goods based on the SRP or at a lower price.
Per kilogram of the following food items are covered by the circular:
• Pork (pigue/kasim) – P190
• Chicken (whole, dressed) – P130
• Sugar (raw, brown) – P45
• Sugar (refined) – P50
• Bangus (cage-cultured) – P162
• Tilapia (pond-cultured) – P120
• Galunggong (imported) – P130
• Garlic (imported) – P70
• Garlic (local) – P120
• Red onion (imported) – P95
The DA is also joining forces with the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and Local Government Units in Metro Manila to monitor the prices of the said goods in public markets. Retailers who will violate the said circular will face sanctions.
“We will conduct regular monitoring of these agri-fishery commodities to protect consumers against hoarding and profiteering of unscrupulous traders and cartels, who manipulate for their advantage the supply, distribution, marketing and prices of basic agri-fishery goods,” Dar added.
He said the DA will “ensure the availability of basic necessities and prime commodities at reasonable prices at all times, without denying legitimate businesses a fair return on their investments.”
Dar said earlier that an SRP is needed as the DA projects a spike in demand in other protein sources like chicken and fish due to the African swine fever.
According to a report on Thursday of the Department of Agriculture-Bicol, the region recorded its first cases of the lethal and highly contagious ASF, with the death of hogs in Barangay Sto. Domingo Bombon, Camarines Sur which tested positive for ASF.
READ: Bicol reports first confirmed ASF cases
Around 1,000 pigs have also died in Davao Occidental early this month due to ASF.
It is the latest area reached by African swine fever in the country, which recorded its first case in Rizal province near Manila in July 2019.
ASF have since been confirmed in parts of Luzon including Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Cavite, Benguet and in some areas in Mindanao. It was in Davao Occidental where ASF was first reported to have reached the southern Philippines earlier this month.
