• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
There are adequate food supplies with stable prices in La Castellana, which is under a state of calamity due to the phreatic explosion of Kanlaon volcano, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.
DTI imposed a price freeze in La Castellana for 60 days, which took effect June 4, after it was placed under a state of calamity.
Lynna Joy Cardinal, DTI provincial director, who visited La Castellana to monitor the compliance of commercial establishments and retail stores, said the price freeze covered basic necessities, such as bread, noodles, canned sardines, milk, bottled water, soap, and candles.
Cardinal disclosed that their monitoring in La Castellana will be done on a regular basis, following its state of calamity declaration.
Canlaon City in Negros Oriental was also placed under a state of calamity.
Under Republic Act No. 7581 or the Price Act, as amended by RA 10623, prices of basic necessities are automatically frozen at their prevailing prices for sixty days once a state of calamity is declared in an area.
Based on the Price Act, business establishments found to have violated the price freeze will face a penalty of imprisonment for a period of one year to ten years, or a fine ranging from P5,000 to P1,000,000, or both, at the discretion of the court.*
