Price freeze enforced in two drought-hit Oriental Mindoro towns

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has enforced a price freeze on essential commodities in two towns in Oriental Mindoro currently facing severe and prolonged drought due to the El Niño phenomenon.

In a statement released Monday, the DTI said the price freeze covers the municipalities of Bulalacao and Mansalay, which have earlier been declared under state of calamity due to the drought.

The automatic price freeze took effect on February 26 in Bulalacao, and March 7 in Mansalay. It will be in effect for 60 days, covering basic necessities such as canned fish, processed milk, coffee, laundry detergents, soap, bread, and bottled water, among others.

The DTI said violators could face imprisonment of up to 10 years or fines ranging from P5,000 to P1 million.

“In addition to these legal consequences, the DTI’s provincial monitoring and enforcement teams will intensify their efforts to monitor the pricing and availability of essential goods within the Department’s jurisdiction,” it said.

“This measure is taken to ensure that businesses and establishments comply with the imposed price freeze,” it added.

Just last week, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) estimated that El Niño has caused P1.056 billion worth of total production loss and cost of damage to agriculture.

State weather bureau PAGASA said they have observed signs of a weakening trend of the El Niño phenomenon across the tropical Pacific Ocean.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/weather/899821/pagasa-el-nino-shows-signs-of-weakening-la-nina-watch-to-begin/story/

It earlier said the peak of El Niño — which started on July 4, 2023 — could bring drought to over 40 provinces in March or April. —KBK, GMA Integrated News