The Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines (GRECON) on Friday expressed support for the issuance of an executive order directing the halt in the collection of pass-through fees imposed on goods and merchandise vehicles.
In a video statement, GRECON national spokesperson Orly Manuntag said the lifting of the collection fees would greatly help workers in the agriculture sector amid the soaring inflation in the country.
“Itong EO [No.] 41 na ito ay makakabawas sa ating mga gastusin. Ang laki ng gastusin namin ngayon, sa transportasyon, lahat, everything. Itong EO 41 ay napakalaking tulong,” he added.
According to Manunutag, the executive order will also ease the burden of consumers as prices of goods and merchandise are expected to diminish.
EO No. 41 na inilabas ni PBBM ikinatuwa ng mga ibat-ibang grupo ng mga nagdadala ng produktong agri sa ibat-ibang lugar sa bansa | RH 5 Val Gonzales @dzrh5#OperationTulong#SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) September 29, 2023
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He said the next move for them now is to look into the discount they could give for the prices of grains.
“Kailangan namin ma-compute kung magkano ang aming ma-diskwento upang mapababa ang presyo rin po ng mga produkto kung saan kami nakapaloob, lalong-lalo na kami ngayon sa hanay ng palay at bigas,” he said.
The GRENCON national spokesperson thanked President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. for understanding the plight of both consumers and workers.
Under EO No. 41 dated Sept. 25 but released on Sept. 29, Marcos directed all local government units (LGUs) to stop the collection of pass-through fees for motor vehicles transporting goods and merchandise on local and national roads.
The President said it is the consumers who bear the burden of paying high prices of goods and commodities caused by the significant effect of the “unauthorized imposition of pass-through fees” to transportation and logistics.
