DTI friendly reminder: February SRP for basic goods still in effect

By Othel V. Campos

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reminds both retailers and consumers that prices of basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs) listed in the most recent Suggested Retail Price (SRP) bulletin published on February 2023 remain valid and in force until a new bulletin is published by the agency.

The DTI, as mandated by Republic Act No. 7581 or the Price Act, as amended, issues the SRP Bulletin of BNPCs under its jurisdiction for the information and guidance of manufacturers, distributors, and consumers.

“Following the request of some manufacturers for price increase citing various reasons, the DTI continues to study these requests for validation and comparison with international prices. And of course, we need to balance the interest of different sectors, we must ensure that Filipino families will have access to affordable BNPCs,” Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said.

Meanwhile, DTI Consumer Protection Group (CPG) chief Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said they continue to assess the requests for price increases by the manufacturers.

“We carefully review the documents provided by the manufacturers as we have our own study and reliable references on the global prices of raw materials that allows us to determine the reasonableness of the requests,” Castelo said.

While there have been movements in prices based on the recent SRP Bulletin in February 2023, the DTI still gets requests for price increases for canned sardines, coffee, salt, instant noodles and canned meat.

This includes the production of the textile of the said uniforms, infraction of which is punishable by P5,000 to P10,000 fine and imprisonment of two to five years or both.

Estrada filed Senate Bill No. 2151 proposing amendments toRepublic Act 493, which he said would serve as a strong deterrentagainst “fake” policemen and military personnel, especially those illegally using the uniforms to commit crimes.

He cited mounting reports of extortion, kidnapping, holdup, and even ambush of government officials perpetrated by fake policemen and soldiers.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Don’t waste gov’t funds—Belmonte

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday told national government agencies to avoid wastage of funds and inconvenience to the public.

Belmonte said national government agencies must properly coordinate with the Quezon City government infrastructure projects. She issued the call after receiving complaints that several national government offices are not properly coordinating their infrastructure projects with the city government.

“Close coordination between the city government and national government agencies would avoid duplication of projects and promote efficient planning and delivery of services for QCitizens, not to mention judicious allocation of public funds,” she said.

“In addition, proper alignment would avoid or minimize any hassle the projects may bring to our QCitizens, especially on traffic flows that may hamper their travel to work, school, or any destination,” she added. Rio N. Araja

ARTA marks 5th year, eyes stronger fight vs. corruption

By Vince Lopez

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) on Monday observed its fifth year with renewed focus on expanding its coverage, modernizing its operations and forging partnerships with both the private and public sectors.

The anniversary celebration held at the Manila Hotel also marked the enactment of Republic Act No. 11032 entitled Ease of Doing Business (EODB) that gave rise to the ARTA.

The theme of the event was “The ARTA @5: Streamlining the Philippines for Effective and Efficient Digitalization (S.P.E.E.D.).” Highlighting ARTA’s efforts to streamline and digitalize government processes and procedures, the celebration also reiterates the Authority’s commitment to promoting ease of doing business in the country.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin read the keynote message on behalf of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. who expressed tremendous support to ARTA’s work and reiterated his administration’s commitment to improving bureaucratic efficiency.

ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez also delivered a comprehensive speech tagged ‘2023 State of the ARTA Address, citing the Authority’s progress in streamlining and digitalizing bureaucracy in the country.