DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 29 Oct) — Prices of basic commodities in areas severely affected by the powerful twin earthquakes in the Davao Region remain stable, according to an official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Davao.
During “Wednesdays Media Forum at the Habi at Kape,” Romeo L. Castañaga, regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Davao, said the agency has been closely monitoring the movement of prices of goods.
He reminded the sellers that a 60-day price freeze order has been in effect in areas that remain under a state of calamity due to the damage caused by the recent tremors.
He said that the price freeze takes effect from the date of the resolution declaring a state of calamity, which prohibits price increases for basic commodities.
The entire province of Davao Oriental has been under a state of calamity since Oct. 13, Tagum City in Davao del Norte since Oct. 20, and the entire province of Davao de Oro since Oct. 24.
“We have implemented a price freeze on our basic necessities. As far as DTI’s jurisdiction is concerned, we were able to monitor, and there are no increases so far. We were monitoring even before the earthquakes happened, because that will be the basis of the prevailing price,” he said.
Pursuant to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 7581, also known as the Price Act of 1992, as amended by R.A. 10623, the prices of basic necessities shall be automatically frozen at their prevailing prices or placed under automatic price control whenever an area is “proclaimed or declared under a state of calamity.”
A report released by the Department of Social Welfare and Development on Oct. 25 stated that the tremors affected a total of 280,184 families or 1,218,293 persons across 459 barangays in the region.
Of this total, the province of Davao Oriental reported the highest number of affected families, with 178,455 or 841,964 persons, followed by Davao de Oro with 76,107 families or 285,338 persons, and Davao del Norte with 25,622 families or 90,991 persons.
The report also noted that a total of 1,612 houses were totally damaged and 29,721 were partially damaged in the region. Of these, Davao Oriental accounted for 1,273 totally damaged and 18,185 partially damaged, followed by Davao de Oro with 242 totally damaged and 11,053 partially damaged, and Davao del Norte with 97 totally damaged and 483 partially damaged.
On Oct. 10, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental, at 9:43 a.m., with impact felt across several areas in Visayas and Mindanao. Approximately nine hours later, at 7:12 p.m., a second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 occurred in the same area.
The doublet earthquakes were “tectonic in origin and strongly felt across neighboring areas, causing the displacement of numerous families and individuals, and triggering damage to homes and lifelines in affected communities,” according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
