QC gov't urged: Monitor price of rice

MANILA, Philippines -- The Quezon City government was urged Monday to strictly monitor the prices of rice in the wake of the financial crisis the country is experiencing.

Councilor Marvin Rillo of the city’s fourth district said that teams from City Hall should inspect retail stores particularly those inside public markets after his office received reports that the price of rice there had spiked.

“It is not only in my district that there are complaints from the urban poor about the one peso increase in the price of NFA (National Food Authority) rice. This may not mean much to us but it is a big slash on the daily budget of our brothers in the underprivileged sector,” Rillo said.

He said that while price monitoring this is mostly the task of the national government “I believe that the price control should also be the concern of the city government.”

He appealed to rice retailers and wholesalers to sell their products within the government-prescribed prices to help the poor overcome their economic woes.

Rillo also asked the NFA to redeploy rolling stores in Metro Manila where the public can buy basic goods at reasonable prices.

In times of calamities, aside from the rising cost of prime commodities, the underprivileged sector has to compete with affluent families resorting to panic buying, Rillo said.

Following the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, even Filipinos are resorting to panic buying, stocking up on goods like canned goods, noodles, rice and soap, he said.

The NFA must deploy rolling stores in strategic areas of Quezon City and other parts of the metropolis to ensure that both the poor and the well-off have an equal chance to buy reasonable priced prime commodities, the councilor said.

Aside from canned goods, noodles and rice, the rolling stores can also sell fresh pork, laundry soap, bath soap, toothpaste, cooking oil and other household necessities at reduced prices.

Rillo said the city government has continuously coordinated with concerned agencies to prevent unscrupulous store owners and businessmen from overpricing their products.

(Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/311738/qc-gov-t-urged-monitor-price-rice)