By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Negros Occidental Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is closely monitoring the price of food items throughout the holiday season.

DTI-Negros Occidental Senior Trade and Industry Specialist Reginald Hudierez said they have not seen any hikes on food prices, particularly “noche buena items” and ingredients.

He said the price has remained normal since October and their monitoring has been continuous as to prevent business establishments from taking advantage of their customers.

Hudierez also advised consumers to check that the food items they are buying are not expired in order to avoid any food poisoning.

He also recommended locals avoid buying items which are “too cheap” as they may not have gone through proper quality assurance processes.

Hudierez added, parents of children below five years of age should avoid buying electric or battery-powered toys for safety reasons.

Aside from DTI, the Bacolod City government’s price monitoring teams are also conducting their own operations./DGB, WDJ