DA, DTI grilled in House panel amid soaring onion prices

CNN Philippines

Lack of action from Agriculture and Trade officials took center stage as a House panel resumes its probe into soaring prices of onions.  Currie Cator tells us more.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 "What do you mean by that?

00:02 The suggested retail price,

00:04 isn't it the fixed retail price?"

00:06 "What do we get if there is a suggested retail price?"

00:11 Agriculture and trade officials

00:13 grilled over their seemingly default response

00:16 to set a suggested retail price or SRP

00:19 when the cost of onions rose to more than P700 per kilogram.

00:24 Both agencies told lawmakers their functions

00:27 were limited to monitoring prices.

00:29 "After we issued an SRP,

00:32 there was no response even from the markets themselves.

00:38 We said that our price is higher than the SRP you are issuing."

00:46 But lawmakers say they should have pushed

00:49 for the declaration of a state of calamity on onions.

00:52 This way, an automatic price freeze may take effect.

00:55 DTI Director Marcos Valdez admits

00:58 this should have been the case.

01:00 But he puts the blame on agency officials

01:02 supposedly not attending their meetings,

01:05 the reason the National Price Coordinating Council

01:08 was not able to recommend to the President

01:10 and concurrent Agriculture Chief.

01:12 "The NPCC could not submit that recommendation

01:17 because of lack of forum."

01:20 The DA was also questioned

01:22 for not going after those profiteering.

01:24 Under the Price Act, profiteering occurs

01:27 when products are sold 10% higher than the SRP,

01:30 but this does not cover agricultural commodities.

01:33 The DA admits it had its shortcomings.

01:37 "Our issuance of sanitary and vital sanitary import clearances,

01:43 we asked them for the distribution list,

01:46 where the markets are."

01:47 "If you have the authority to do the trade stock,

01:50 why have you not been doing that ever since?"

01:53 "That is the failure of the system."

01:58 Meanwhile, Eric Pabilona,

02:00 owner of the cold storage facility Chanlong Corporation,

02:04 was cited in contempt for 30 days.

02:07 The panel also ordered his arrest and detention

02:10 over his refusal to show up in hearings.

02:12 Pabilona was earlier found to be a shareholder

02:15 of Filvieva Corporation,

02:17 allegedly involved in onion and garlic smuggling.

02:20 Kari Gator, CNN Philippines.

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