The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will pare down the list of items being monitored under its suggested retail price (SRP) bulletin down to the most basic and prime commodities.
The DTI has also recommended a moratorium on the sale of vape products through electronic commerce platforms until such time the latter shall have fixed their systems in accordance with the provisions of the Internet Transactions Act (ITA).
DTI Undersecretary Amanda Nograles said the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) in a special meeting last Thursday recommended to remove from the SRP bulletin the following products: condensada, condensed milk, evaporada, evaporated milk, coffee refill, candle, salt bottled water, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce or patis and battery.
Nograles said the NPCC recommended to retain the following: sardines, coffee 3-in-1, instant noodles, powdered milk, bread, laundry soap, bath soap and canned meat.
She said these recommendations were made after consultations with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners Inc., the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association and other retailers.
The consultation helped determine what products are in the food basket of the consumers, what goods are sellable in stores and what essentials are needed in times of disasters.
Nograles said the DTI formed a technical working group to study the stock keeping units (SKUs) and pare the list down from the current 217 SKUs in 13 categories.
“In reality, consumers do not necessarily buy all the things listed in the SRP bulletin. The SRP bulletin is there for information and guidance of consumers so they have an idea how much they should prepare when shopping. The current list is very long and confusing to shoppers. By streamlining the list, it will be more informative and more effective,” Nograles said.
She said the TWG targets to release the final list within two months.
Meanwhile, Nograles said DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual in a recent meeting called on e-marketplace players to take advantage of the 18-month transition period under the ITA for them to ensure compliance to the terms of the law as well as those of the Vape Act.
The DTI said only those which can show to the E-Commerce Bureau proof of their compliance to the laws will be allowed to sell online. The law prohibits the marketing, advertising and sale of vapes to minors.
According to Nograles, the DTI has observed physical stores are mostly compliant to the Vape Law and violations are more rampant online.
“We need a solution, we can just take down posts (of online sellers) but these are in the thousands,” Nograles said.
She added the law prohibits the sale of regulated goods online and in the case of vape, two conditions have to be met.
One is that the online seller has the permit, license and registration to sell vape and two, that the online seller and marketplace have a contract stipulating both follow the selling restrictions such as prohibition of sale to minors.
“We encourage e-market places to conduct their internal checks, clean up their list of vendors to ensure the vape products they sell are legitimate,” Nograles said.
The transition period ends in June 2025.
