BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Trade and Industry on Tuesday said that its office in Baguio City is now on the lookout for overpriced bottled water here as demand has spiked due to the reported diarrhea outbreak in the city.
This comes as the local government here has reported unusual price increases in bottled mineral water even as serving a warning to individuals and establishments taking advantage of the health emergency for their gain.
DTI Baguio-Benguet Consumer Protection Division officer Ralph Altiyen said an initial random inspection was conducted last 11 January 2024 covering four establishments and on 12 January 2024 for another set of stores.
He added that operations will continue to protect consumers from undue price adjustments.
He said initial monitoring showed no changes in the prices in the inspected establishments.
“Our monitoring team went to compare the real time prices of bottled water against the prices we gathered last week and early this week. According to some store owners, they haven’t noticed any unusual increase in the demand for bottled water that may also affect supplies,” Altiyen said.
The DTI has also appealed to the public to report any unjustified price hike to their office.