Rufus wants DTI-10 to crack whip vs. profiteering flour traders

September 23, 2008

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

Cagayan de Oro City Second District Cong. Rufus Rodriguez is now urging the regional office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-10) to crack its whip against those traders who have failed to rollback the price of flour and other bread ingredients in the city.

He said proper legal charges under Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act that prohibits excessive profiteering should be slapped against these unscrupulous flour sellers and egg dealers among others.

“This way there is no more reason for our bakers and bakeshops to increase the prices of pandesal and other bread products that they are selling,” he told Gold Star Daily.

But a flour dealer who requested anonymity said the congressman is asking for the impossible considering that the price of gasoline and electric power used to power the generators of flour mill here are still “substantially high.”

In a text message, he added that they also have to use gasoline in transporting these milled flour from one destination to another.

“Ang gasoline stations pud mo-ingon nga ni-ubos na ang price sa world market pero dili sila maka-ubos sa presyo sa gasoline dayon kay nagsige mansab taas ang dollar nga ilang gigamit para ipalit ug crudo sa gawas,” his text message reads.

But Rodriguez insists that the increases in flour and other bread ingredients are still unreasonable and does not have any basis.

He said the price of flour alone which has been reported by Cogon vendors to have soared to from P30.00 to P35.00 per kilo or at P940 to P970 per sack containing 25 kilograms is still too much considering that most of the flour millers are just here in Mindanao.

“It would have been a different story if we are talking of flour from Mindanao being sold in Luzon,” the congressman said.

Cogon vendors who sell bread reported that most of them and even huge bakeshops have increased their prices of pandesals from P1.50 to P2.00 for the smaller ones and then from P2.00 to even P3.00 per piece for the bigger-sized ones.

Philippine Baking Industry president Simplicio Umali last week said the from the Philippine Association of Flour Millers and Chamber of Flour Millers had already declined their request to hold off a price hike in pandesal and other bread products.

He added that starting last Wednesday Sept. 16, the price of pandesal will be increased by 25 centavos while load bread will cost more by up to P1.50 each.

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Written by admin · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro