IN response to price hikes on meat products in the city, Councilor Lilia Fariñas has proposed an ordinance deputizing barangay officials to monitor the retail prices of meat products in their jurisdictions.
Under the proposal, barangay officials would be empowered to coordinate with the Local Price Coordinating Council (LPCC) to regularly report prices of meat products in their barangays.
The proposal also empowers barangay officials to apprehend retailers whose products are in violation of the suggested retail prices (SRP)s for meat products as imposed by the LPCC or its national counterpart.
The LPCCs and their national counterparts are mandated to monitor both public and private markets to ensure that prices of these products remain competitive but accessible to the buying public.
The proposal is intended to address the potential price surges in meat products in the city and ensure reasonable prices amid the meat shortage brought about by the presence of the African swine fever (ASF) in the region.
The Department of Agriculture Cordillera office (DA-CAR) previously spoke against the implementation of a price ceiling on meat products, as it would supposedly force vendors to sell at a loss.
The ordinance was approved on first reading and was referred to the Sanggunian’s Committee on Market, Trade and Commerce, and Agriculture for further study.
