111 overpricing market vendors caught

We want to ensure that prices in our markets enter the SRP, so as not to increase the burden of our countrymen who are already struggling with high commodity prices

As part of its crackdown against excessively priced goods, the Quezon City (QC) Market Development and Administration Department (MDAD) issued notices of violation to 111 market vendors for cases of overpricing from 1 January to the present.

Procopio Lipana, MDAD Operations head, said these cases will be endorsed to the Department of Agriculture (DA) for proper investigation, as the city has no jurisdiction over the traders where the market vendors get their goods.

“Often, vendors justify that they get high prices from traders. But we will work with the DA to chase the wholesalers, especially if they are from QC,” Lipana explained.

MDAD also forwarded to the DA the receipts of transactions between the market vendors and these traders as additional evidence, if needed.

He said the DA may also use the reports submitted by MDAD in analyzing and formulating an acceptable suggested retail price (SRP) for all stakeholders.

As ordered by the QC local government unit (LGU), the MDAD is conducting daily monitoring of prices in markets all over the city to ensure that vendors are not charging beyond the SRP mandated by the government.

“We want to ensure that prices in our markets enter the SRP, so as not to increase the burden of our countrymen who are already struggling with high commodity prices,” the QC LGU said.

Aside from monitoring prices, Lipana said MDAD also checks and confiscates unsealed or uncalibrated weighing scales.

Last year, MDAD confiscated 263 defective weighing scales and issued 282 notices of violations to vendors who failed to put price tags on their goods and 128 notices of violation for overpricing.