TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—The Local Price Coordinating Council (LPCC) which Governor Erico Aristotle wants re-constituted in every town in Bohol would empower people to be part in the determination of local prices, especially when these are deemed inaccessible and unreasonable to most Boholanos.
And while its design for setting up, reactivation and reorganization is suited for calamities, Bohol could not just sit and wait for calamities to happen before the LPCC is reactivated.
Thus says Trade and Industry Development Specialist at the Department of Trade and Industry Alvin Acosta, during the recent live-streamed Kapihan sa PIA from the Philippine Information Agency Studio in Tagbilaran City.
“Kinahanglan, before sa kalamidad, duna na ‘tay gihimo nga mga steps, aron… dili man kita mangandoy nga maabtan ‘tag kalamidad, pero sa natural nga lihok sa atong environment, moabut man gyud na siya, andam na ta.”
“We ought to have steps already done before the calamity arrives, even if we do not wish this to happen, the way nature moves, it will come and when it does, we are ready,” Acosta said.
As calamities come, the price act mandates all implementing agencies to issue price freeze or price ceilings for all products covered as per implementing agencies, as to the respective laws.
“How else can we put up price ceilings if we do not have the pre-calamity monitored data?” he asked, pushing for the most immediate reconstitution of the LPCC.
Nindot siya nga atong i-activate tungod kay makatabang ni sila nato inig kuha na unya sa mga data kon ang atong mga LPCC sa kalungsuran, nakahimo na sa ilang price monitoring activities.
“Its nice to activate this as the LPCC can help gather data when the LPCC starts to function and join price monitoring activities,” Acosta added.
Among the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) from the local executive order creating LPCC, it specifies the local membership led by the governor or mayor, vice chaired by the DTI based in the national law IRR.
Its members are the agencies implementing the price of their products, DA, DOH, DOE, NEDA, DENR, representatives of manufacturers, traders, agricultural sector, retailers sector representatives or their local counterparts in the towns and the sectoral reps based on the mayor’s appointment.
Now these councils in the towns, who are locally appointed by the mayor, are there to harmonize the government programs of every implementing agency, based on the situation, so they could complement each other’s implementation.
And as the DTI issues suggested retail prices (SRP) considering the price coordinating team comprised of manufacturers, raw material suppliers, and everyone in the value chain represented before they can agree on the win-win SRP, LPCCs are also supposed to do the same considering inputs from representative members.
On the other hand, if the LPCC has monitored the local prices and established a trend, they can recommend suggested retail prices and price ceilings in their jurisdiction, also based on their indepth study and analysis on every price movement in their jurisdictions, see what has caused the price spike and from there, establish the price caps.
And in cases where there are price manipulation and unreasonable increases, the LPCCs can make steps to stop the practice, like recommend to the implementing agencies who have jurisdictions of the overpriced product actionable points.
After all, DTI’s Acosta said the LPCCs are there for price monitoring and for crafting strategies to protect consumers.
RA 7581 or the Price Act which mandates that the government ensure that basic and prime commodities are available to consumers at a reasonable price at all times
This happens as cases of illegal practices like profiteering, establishment of monopolies and cartels and hoarding which occurs most of the times during calamities that the Price Act becomes the last defensive stand. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
