PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday reassured the public that there will be no increases in the price of bread until the end of the year.
The President made the announcement as she made a surprise visit of two big supermarkets in Metro Manila to determine any presence of Chinese banned milk and milk based products still being sold in the local markets.
The President made the surprise visit after attending the opening ceremonies of the Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
The President proceeded first to Liana’s Supermarket located at Leveriza St., Pasay and personally inspected the milk and other milk products being sold there.
Aside from no Chinese milk and milk products being sold in the said supermarket, the President also found out that there are certain milk products, particularly Alaska Milk that reduced prices by 20 percent.
It will be recalled that the President preferred the imposition of the full force of the law against offending supermarkets violating the government ban on melamine tainted milk and milk based products.
We are happy to find out that there are no Chinese-banned milk and milk products being sold here and there are even milk products that reduced their prices by 20 percent,” the President said.
Aside from this, the President also disclosed that the price of bread would not increase until the end of the year.
“I also would like you to know additional information that the prices of bread would remain until December,” she also said.
After Liana’s inspection, the President also proceeded to Save More Supermarket located near the Nagtahan Bridge.
She was also delighted to find out that there are no Chinese-banned products that are being sold in the Nagtahan supermarket.
Earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) has identified three China-made products positive for melamine, namely Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Fat Milk (1 liter); Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink.
The DOH declared 48 other dairy products free of melamine.
Melamine, a chemical used for plastics, has been found in some infant formula manufactured by Chinese firms.
Four Chinese infants have died while more than 50,000 have been sick due to melamine poisoning.