No plaint on wood products overpricing

CEBU, Philippines - Two weeks after super typhoon Yolanda flattened more than 100,000 homes in Northern Cebu, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-7 said it received no complaints on overpricing of the prices of plywood, lawanit, and other forest products.

Eddie Llamedo, DENR-7 information officer, said in a press conference yesterday that a Regional Price Monitoring Team was crea-ted to check the prices of  prime forest commodities to prevent unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage of the situation.

DENR-7 Regional Executive Director Isabelo Montejo also said it was a preventive measure meant to frustrate businessmen who are into the trading or selling of lumber pieces and other forest products from raising prices because of the calamity.

Llamedo said that based on a summary report on domestic retail prices of rough lumber pieces in Central Visayas, the average price per board foot of Apitong is P29; Lauan, P44.42 to P44.50; Yakal, P81.50; Gemelina, P25.75 to P32.13; Mahogany, P32.13; Bagras, P32.00; and Narra, P170.00.

He said that the average prices for domestic retail of wood panel products are the following: ordinary plywood (Lauan) P880; marine plywood, P335.00 to P975; plyboard, P777; and the standard lawanit, P190.

“We have been coordinating with the Department of Trade and Industry and has been conducting a price monitoring in the four pro-vinces,” Montejo said.

He said they have not received any complaints from the public that certain forest products are being sold at prices higher the average.

He urged consumers to report immediately to the DENR-7 if there are lumber dealers or retailers exploiting the situation by calling the numbers 346-1002 or 345-3959.  (FREEMAN)