Newly-appointed Trade and Industry Secretary Jesli A. Lapus vowed to concentrate on three to six urgent matters starting out with consumer issues for the three and half months that he will be in office or before the new administration is installed by June 30 this year.

In a huddle with reporters after the turnover ceremony of the DTI leadership from Secretary Peter B. Favila, who was appointed to the Monetary Board, the new DTI Secretary admitted that he has to focus on urgent matters because he has only three a half months in office.

“Let’s hit the nail on the head first,” said Lapus, a consumer advocate and who was named an outstanding legislator on consumerism during his stint in Congress.

“If we tackle consumer issues, it is like tackling the efficiency and quality of the manufacturing sector,” Lapus said.

In particular, Lapus cited the gift certificates issued by different establishments, but which carry an expiry date when those had been paid already.

Lapus also raised the issue of the wide price gap from the producers to retailers on basic commodities.

“The middle is too wide, the price gap in some products is just unconscionable,” he said.

With improved transportation, Lapus said there should be a way to reduce the price gap.

On investments, the DTI chief said the issue of power cost and availability of power have been a sticky issue among investors in the country.

Lapus said he would work towards the reduction on the cost of doing business in the country including power.

As a former Secretary of Education, Lapus said it is important the skills produced by the academe match with the demand of the industry.

He said that DepEd is bent on reintroducing the Spanish language in the college curriculum noting that Taiwan is hosting Spanish call centers when this job could have been easily taken by Filipinos.