The Philippine National Police on Monday vowed to act promptly against profiteers preying on the general public and endangering the country’s food security.
“Upon the guidance of President [Rodrigo] Duterte as embodied in the Sona [State of the Nation Address], we will aggressively support agencies in waging war against unscrupulous traders who willfully manipulate market forces for their own selfish gains that result in higher prices of basic and essential commodities particularly rice and food products,” PNP Dir. Gen. Oscar Albayalde told reporters in a press briefing.
“[T]hese acts go beyond the issue of fair trade and is a matter of food security that the state is duty bound to protect and defend,” he added.
Albayalde said the PNP Directorate for Operations will be working closely to review its memorandum and other linkages with other concerned agencies on the matter, particularly the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority, to identify rooms for improvement in law enforcement against rice smuggling, hoarding, pilferage, and profiteering.
Last month, the DA had set limits on retail prices of eight agricultural commodities sold in Metro Manila as it warned sellers that they would face sanctions for profiteering.
This developed as the Department of Trade Industry will implement an expanded suggested retail price on basic commodities starting in August.
Over at the Senate, Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV urged the government to address the rising prices of goods, especially that of petroleum products, by supporting the passage of his measure dubbed as “Bawas Presyo Bill.”
“We should not prolong the sufferings of our people. We can still do something to ease the burden due the high cost of prices,” said Aquino, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the TRAIN Law.
“Let us make this simple. The problem is high prices, the solution is to lower the cost,” he added.
He said that Senate Bill No. 1798 or the Bawas Presyo Bill should be immediately passed.
Aquino’s measure seeks to suspend the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law when the average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.
According to Aquino, the government cannot escape the fact that its tax reform program, particularly the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law, has led to the increase in prices of goods and services and the rise in inflation rate.
He said that under the TRAIN Law, another increase in the excise tax on fuel is scheduled for January 2019.
“Let us not allow the government to further increase the cost of petroleum products while families are drowning from high expenses,” he said.
Aquino also called on Congress to prioritize the suspension and rollback of the excise tax under the TRAIN Law, instead of focusing on the passage of TRAIN 2. With PNA