ILOILO CITY, Philippines (PNA) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that the prices of basic commodities in the city and province of Iloilo have remained stable. DTI Iloilo Provincial Director Wilhelm Malones said their monitoring, the prices of basic commodities, construction materials, and electrical supplies are within the suggested retail price.
“There is also enough supply of the basic goods and other products in the market,” Malones said. He said that the price of hard flour being used in baking bread has even decreased from the previously P930 per 25 kilogram to only P900 now.
Cebu budget
CEBU CITY (PNA) – The Cebu City Council has opted to speed up the review of the P1.7-billion second supplemental budget proposed by the executive department despite questions it raised on its funding source.
Cebu City Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairperson of the committee on budget and finance, scheduled the budget hearing at the end of the month, right after a holiday.
The second supplemental budget includes the salaries of employees of the Cebu City Medical Center and Cebu City Traffic Operations Management.
Road closure
ILOILO CITY (PNA) — Starting next month, five national roads here will be closed to give way to road widening and rehabilitation projects. These roads include the Airport direct road, Jaro to Leganes, Iloilo, and the city’s main streets like Peralta, Rizal from Muelle Loney bridge to Huervana, and Dungon bridge along El 98 Street in Jaro district.
City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said upon the start of the project, regular routes of public utility vehicles will have to be rerouted. The mayor said rerouting plans will be announced by the City’s Transportation Management and Traffic Regulation Office. Mabilog said closure of these affected roads will take 60 to 120 days or until the completion of the road project.
Barangay scholars
TACLOBAN CITY – A bill that will improve the working conditions of the country’s Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) was turned over for Eastern Visayas’ legislators to sponsor and pass in Congress.
Region 8 BNS Federation President Lydia Nuñez, together with Department of Health (DoH) Regional Director Edgardo M. Gonzaga and National Nutrition Council (NNC) Regional Director Carina Z. Santiago, handed to Southern Leyte lone district Rep. Roger G. Mercado the draft Magna Carta of BNS in front of 4,000 cheering BNSs during the conduct of the first Eastern Visayas BNS Congress held in this city recently. (Jack Gadaingan)
Magic sugar
ILOILO CITY (PNA) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will coordinate with the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in monitoring the sale of Magic Sugar or the Sodium Cyclamate which has been identified as carcinogenic.
DTI Iloilo Provincial Director Wilhelm Malones said they have established the Consumer Net, which is composed of the DTI, non-government organizations and the private sector to help in efforts to prevent the sale of Magic Sugar. The confiscation of Magic Sugar has been reportedly initiated in Metro Manila.