00:00With Christmas just around the corner, many shoppers are flocking to the Balintawak public market,
00:05taking advantage of the lower prices compared to their local markets.
00:09The Department of Agriculture is also keeping an eye on price compliance,
00:13ensuring retailers stick to the maximum suggested retail price,
00:17while also investigating the source of some imported goods labeled as local.
00:22Vel Custodio tells us more.
00:23Ernesto came all the way from Marilao, Bulacan and took the opportunity to go to Balintawak public market
00:32to buy ingredients for the Christmas Eve celebration.
00:53Marilao also went to the same market, saying prices there are cheaper.
01:03According to the Department of Agriculture or DA,
01:27prices of basic commodities are expected to remain stable until the end of the year.
01:32Based on the joint price and supply inspection conducted by the agency at the Balintawak public market,
01:38retailers of pork meat are complying with the maximum suggested retail price or MSRP.
01:44Pork shoulder and pigue, price at only P290,
01:48while pork belly ranges from P340 to P360 per kilo.
01:54Chicken is also available at around P140 to P165.
01:58Grilled fish is also popular for the holiday table.
02:02Milk fish or bangus is being sold for P190 to P220.
02:07Ang nakita natin sa sibuyas, halos lahat po compliant doon sa ating P120 na white onions and P150 na red onions na imported.
02:18Meron lang po tayong isa na na sinurvan po ng ating notice to explain.
02:24Although sila sabi niya local daw po yun,
02:26pero mukha pong may pagdududa kami na local yun dahil nga po metho matumal na ang supply natin ng local na sibuyas.
02:36Mukha po kasi siyang imported eh.
02:39Misuli ba? Anong itsura ba na magkakaduwa?
02:42Yung ganito, medium size.
02:44Pero mas maganda pa yung pagkakatuyo.
02:46Talagang alam mo na,
02:49yung itsura niya, hindi ganito pa,
02:55kalight.
02:56So batay po sa itsura imported.
02:58Mukha siyang imported.
02:59The DA will have several samples of onions from the said stall to undergo testing for verification,
03:06whether these are local or imported.
03:08However, the stall owner admitted to the PTV News team that the onions are imported.
03:14Kasi ang kuha ko niyan sa India na yan,
03:161,280.
03:18Binibenda ko na lang ng 1,60, 1,40.
03:20Mali, magkano po ang pitan niyo po?
03:22Wala po.
03:23Rugi na po.
03:24This was his defense for not complying with the LMSRP.
03:28Kasi po mam nabutan ng pagka lumaba yung gulay eh.
03:31Ito, mataas pa nung nakuha ko,
03:321,280 ang isang bag.
03:34Eh ngayon na, 700, 600 na lang.
03:37Okay, so yung mga susunod yung pagkakapatan?
03:40Oo po.
03:41Kaya pinapaubos na lang namin kahit lugi na.
03:42Ang unang-unang hakbang na gagawin namin bilang isang market administrator,
03:47bibigyan po namin sila ng kaulang pag-uusap kung bakit mataas ang kanilang mga presyo.
03:53Ganun pa man, kung sila po ay hindi susunod,
03:55i-endorse po namin sila sa pamunuhan ng business registration
03:59para i-revoc po ang kanilang mga lisensya.
04:01Meanwhile, some vendors have already responded to the notice to explain
04:05issued by the DA to several stalls in Metro Manila markets inspected by the agency last week.
04:12However, according to Assistant Secretary Guevara,
04:15the response of some retailers is still do not clearly stake the exact source of their goods
04:20and who are their distributors or middlemen are.
04:23As a result, the agency is now coordinating with the market masters and local government units
04:28to track down the middlemen and determine how much onion and pork
04:32that do not comply with the MSRP are being sourced.
04:36The DA also aims to establish food hubs to give secondary markets more options
04:41to source cheaper and more accessible supply from the trading posts.
04:45Vel Custodio for the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
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