THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has issued a memorandum circular (MC) setting the limit in the volume of purchases of consumers of 13 food and non-food items to put a stop on hoarding and panic-buying.
MC 20-07 signed by DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez yesterday said hoarders can face up to 15 years in prison and can be fined by as much as P2 million as prescribed in the Price Act and the Consumer Act.
The MC is enforced for the entire period of public health emergency.
The MC enjoins retailers to sell and for consumers to buy products at set volumes which are deemed sufficient to meet the needs of consumers for up to a week.
Covered are 7 non-food items and the limit per transaction: 70 percent alcohol, two pieces; hand sanitizer, two pieces; disinfecting liquids, two pieces; bath soap, five bars or one pack; toilet paper, 10 pieces or one pack and; face mask, five pieces (both for surgical or N88 and N95 or industrial masks).
The food items and the limit are: locally produced instant mami and pancit canton five pieces per type per brand; locally-produced canned sardines, five per brand per type for regular size or three cans per type per brand for big size; canned regular milk, five cans per type per brand for small size or two cans per type per brand (other than small); powdered milk in sachet, two bundles per brand; instant coffee in sachet, two bundles per brand; and mineral water, 10 bottles any brand for small, eight bottlers any brand for medium; five bottles any brand for large or two bottles any brand for extra large.
