Philippine Department of Agriculture: Bicol issues price cap for pork, beef, chicken products

LEGAZPI CITY – After President Rodrigo Duterte placed the country under a state of calamity due to the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak early this week, the Department of Agriculture (DA) 5 (Bicol) has ordered a price freeze covering all the basic agricultural commodities across the region. In an interview on Friday, Emily Bordado, DA-5 spokesperson, said the order issued on Wednesday disallowed retailers from changing their prices and mandated them to stick to the price caps issued by their office for every city and province in the region. "Section 6 of Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act of 1992 states that all basic necessities with reference to agricultural crops, meat, and poultry, in an area proclaimed under a state of calamity or under an emergency, shall be automatically frozen," Bordado said. With the declaration, the prices of basic commodities in the cities and provinces would be "frozen" for 60 days, she said. Bordado added that retailers found selling at more than ...