Authorities Have Arrested 635 Profiteers For Hoarding Goods, Medical Supplies
635 PROFITEERS ARRESTED – Ever since the start of the outbreak, several individuals hoarded necessary goods and medical supplies for profit.
As such, the Philippines imposed laws on hoarding and manipulation of prices of goods and necessary medical supplies. Furthermore, several individuals have already been arrested by authorities as part of its”Bayanihan to Heal as One Act” program.
According to an article from Inquirer, President Rodrigo Duterte reported that over 635 individuals have been caught by authorities for profiteering. Furthermore, the President said that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) had done 2,415 price monitoring activities from April 2-9, 2020.
As per the article, Duterte stated:
During the same period, the DTI issued 150 Letters of Inquiry and 71 Notices of Violation, and launched a total of 888 operations in connection with its campaign on anti-hoarding/anti-profiteering
Duterte added that 107 of the operations were done in partnership with the DTI and the National Police-Crime Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Also, Because of a surge in demand, authorities have also included personal protective equipment under their monitoring. Moreover, Duterte added that about 528 firms are being surveyed to make sure they are obliging with fair trade laws.
The joint action of the DTI, the NBI and the PNP on these online complaints have resulted in the arrest of 72 suspects and confiscation of around P6 million worth of paraphernalia
Likewise, several of the complaints have come from netizens online. As such, the President reported 2,987 online complaints. Of that number, 594 was endorsed to the PNP-CIDG and the NBI.
Meanwhile, 231 was endorsed to the Food and Drug Administration and 2,162 to other concerned agencies.
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