TACLOBAN CITY – Product distributors in Eastern Visayas have managed to alter their logistics strategies to ensure stable supply of basic commodities in the region amid the San Juanico Bridge crisis, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regional office said Wednesday.
Some distributors have set up new warehouses, established transloading and cross-docking systems, resorted to source shifting, and are now shipping goods directly to ports in Samar, DTI Eastern Visayas regional information officer Anthea Aivi Ancheta said in a phone interview.
“In our meeting with top distributors in the region, they informed us that companies set up mini-hubs and rented warehouses in Calbayog City and other areas to serve Samar directly,” Ancheta said.
Since the third week of May, many distributors have established a transloading and cross-docking system practice by shifting goods to smaller vehicles to comply with the three-ton load limit at the San Juanico Bridge, which is currently undergoing repair.
“Some of our manufacturers also rerouted supply chains, sourcing from Cebu, Bacolod, and Cagayan de Oro instead of Luzon to avoid choke points,” Ancheta said.
Citing the monitoring of inventory in major stores in Tacloban City and other parts of Leyte, the DTI reported that there is no shortage of stocks of basic commodities, as distributors managed to address the logistical hurdles following the implementation of the weight limit on the iconic 53-year-old bridge.
The DTI has been monitoring the prices of basic goods daily in major stores in Tacloban City and Samar province. The entire Eastern Visayas has been placed under a state of calamity, automatically activating the price freeze.
In areas without price monitors, personnel from the DTI-Negosyo Centers are tasked with checking the prices, Ancheta said.
The Trade department is continuously monitoring the prices of products under its jurisdiction, such as canned fish, locally manufactured instant noodles, bottled water, bread, processed milk, coffee, candles, laundry soap, detergent, and salt.
The DTI reminds all business owners that those who violate the price freeze will face a penalty of imprisonment for a period of one to 10 years, or a fine ranging from PHP5,000 to PHP1,000,000, or both, at the discretion of the court. (PNA)
