Lawmakers want prices of basic, prime commodities monitored

MANILA, Philippines — With prices of good and services consumed by an average Filipino household jumped by 12,5 percent from last year, the highest in 17 years, the militant Gabriela Women's Party representatives urged the House Committee on Trade and Industry to look into the system of price monitoring. Reps. Liza Largoza-Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan have filed House Resolution No. 697 as they have expressed alarm over the recent price monitoring conducted by the Center for Women's Resources showing that prices of prime commodities, especially food, swiftly rose in Metro Manila in the past 12 months. Maza said the resolution aims to efficiently curb the relentless price increases of these basic and prime commodities. Maza said it is the policy of the State to ensure the availability of basic necessities and prime commodities at reasonable prices at all times, while giving legitimate businesses a fair return on investments. "As such, the government should also provide for an effective and sufficient protection to consumers against hoarding, profiteering and cartels with respect to supply, distribution, marketing and pricing of the said goods, especially during period of calamity, emergency, widespread illegal price manipulation and other similar situations," Maza said. Ilagan cited the 2006 Official Poverty Statistics, which confirmed that 27.6 million Filipinos are poor and that 12.2 million of the country's population is food poor. "We should coordinate the productivity, distribution and price stabilization programs, projects and measures of the government and develop comprehensive strategies to effect a general stabilization of prices of basic necessities and prime commodities at affordable levels," she said. "Assuming that Filipino laborers are receiving a minimum wage of P345 to P382 per day in Metro Manila they are left with no capacity to purchase their basic needs due to the expensive cost of basic food and non-food needs," she added. - GMANews.TV