Profiteering sets back reconstruction effort
TYPHOON VICTIMS’ WOES WORSEN
ALAMINOS CITY–Dealers of construction materials in this city have been warned by the local government against profiteering as rehabilitation and relief operations shift to high gear in areas within typhoon-devastated Western Pangasinan.
Retail sellers of construction materials, i.e., galvanized iron, nails, lumber, and cement, among others, speculating on the increased demand, have reportedly jacked up their prices last week prompting Mayor Hernani Braganza to order City Administrator Wilmer Panabang to investigate.
At the same time, storeowners selling bottled mineral water have also reportedly exploited the situation since power supply in the district has yet to be fully restored, and they have also been warned against increasing their prices.
Alaminos City serves as the commercial center of Western Pangasinan catering to people from towns in the 1st district.
Panabang said the city government will not hesitate to padlock establishments found overpricing their commodities.
A memorandum circular has been issued telling businesses not to unduly increase the prices of commodities, otherwise they would be held criminally and administratively liable.
“I’ve been receiving numerous complaints about overpricing and I am waiting for people to submit their official receipts of their purchases so that we can run after these establishments,” Panabang said.
“We will wait for the receipts before taking our move,” he added.
The 1st district has been put under a State of Calamity following the heavy damages brought by Typhoon Emong on May 7.
As of press time, the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council reported 41 people died from the typhoon, and five remain missing.
Losses in the fisheries sector were estimated at P1.2 billion, including the destruction of fishing structures.
Last week, tons of bangus believed to have been washed up from Western Pangasinan were harvested along the coasts of Dagupan City and San Fabian by surprised families living by the coasts.
“TRIPLE WHAMMY”
Braganza said Alaminos alone suffered a “triple whammy” because the natural calamity hit when the city was experiencing a lean month, when parents were preparing to enroll their children in school, and the city was starting to recover from the effects of last year’s Typhoon Cosme.
Most of the houses that were rebuilt after Typhoon Cosme were among those that were blown away again by Typhoon Emong.
“We are now in a period of rehabilitation and we are saddened on learning that several dealers of construction materials have unduly increased the prices of their commodities,” he said.
Panabang said there is no justification for the increase in the prices of construction materials since all access from Alaminos City to central Pangasinan, particularly Dagupan, and to Tarlac and the capital Metro Manila remain open.—LM
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