The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday assured that it will ensure that prices of consumer goods will remain stable in the wake of storm “Ondoy.”

DILG Acting Secretary Melchor Rosales said he has asked all provincial governors, city and municipal mayors and barangay heads in Luzon to immediately reactive their respective local disaster coordinating councils and local price coordinating councils to swiftly address the effects of Ondoy as well as to take pro-active measures to ensure disaster readiness.

In a memorandum circular, Rosales called on local chief executives to protect consumers from unscrupulous individuals who take advantage of the situation including hoarding and exorbitant excessive and unreasonable price increases of essential and prime communities.

Rosales asked that local executives conduct regular inspections of public and private markets, rice warehouses as well as set up hotlines, consumer complaints desks and timbangan bayan.

The Acting Secretary said that the LGUs should should enlist the assistance of the local police in enforcing the measures and deputize barangay officials and non-government organizations to monitor abnormal price increases.

Apart from this, the LGUs should also convene and formulate policies and strategies to keep prices of consumer goods at a reasonable level and coordinate with appropriate government agencies to prevent unwarranted price increases and hoarding of rice and other prime commodities.