Two retailers have been jailed and one detained out of the 80 retailers that were served notice of violations by the Department of Trade and Industry.

This was revealed by DTI assistant secretary for National Capital Region Angel Pelayo as the agency has heightened its watch on all public markets and supermarkets in Metro Manila to prevent unscrupulous traders from taking advantage of the situation.

According to Pelayo, their monitoring teams have already covered 87 percent of the total retail outlets in Metro Manila.

Pelayo also said they are closely coordinating with manufacturers because the supermarket operators have pointed to them as the cause for the higher prices of basic and prime commodities.

The DTI has already filed administrative charges and that two retailers have already been jailed and one detained out of the 80 retailers that have been served notice of violations.

On the shortage and high cost of vegetables, Atty. Federico Ples, secretary-general of the Philippine Association of Supermarkets Inc., said they have a hard time getting supplies because their suppliers of vegetables are also sourcing these products from Baguio where vegetable plantation has been devastated by typhoon Pepeng.

Ples said that if ever prices of vegetables are going up they cannot really blame the suppliers because these are abnormal times.

Ples, however, urged suppliers not to take undue advantage of the situation.