DTI holds Diskwento Caravan in Tacloban

MANILA, Philippines - After holding a series of Diskwento Caravans in Samar and Leyte to offer basic goods at discounted prices and help stabilize the food supply, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is set to conduct another one in Tacloban City on Friday.

In a statement, the DTI said Tacloban City would be its last stop for its series of Diskwento Caravans in towns hit by Typhoon Yolanda.

The Diskwento Caravan has already been held in Ormoc City, Maasin City and Baybay City in Leyte as well as in Calbayog City and Catbalogan City in Samar.

DTI regional director for Central Visayas Asteria Caberte said that through the caravans, the department is helping replenish local supply of goods to stabilize the situation in those provinces.

The Diskwento Caravan is a flagship project of the DTI that provides consumers access to discounted basic goods.

The products offered in the Diskwento Caravans include bottled water, canned goods, coffee, milk, noodles, rice, biscuits, bread, condiments and personal care products.

The participating companies in the caravans are Gardenia, Nestlé, Century Canning, Unilever, San Miguel Pure Foods Co. Inc., Dranix, and Alturas Group of Companies.

The local trader River Valley Distributor Inc. and the National Food Authority also participated in distributing canned goods and rice, respectively, in Samar.

DTI provincial director for Southern Leyte Michael B. Nuñez said people were grateful to have direct access to wholesalers and buy products at discounted prices.

Nuñez said most of the goods were sold out as people in the neighboring towns also went to the caravans.

In a related development, the DTI said it has launched the Oplan Stores website www.openstores.yolanda.dti.gov.ph to serve as guide for consumers who are looking to open business establishments in typhoon-hit areas in the Visayas.

“Because of the challenging road to recovery ahead in typhoon-stricken regions, each re-opened store shows one step towards rehabilitation. The Oplan Open Stores Website serves as a guide for the public, the media covering the area and relief effort groups who are in need of supplies,” DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo said.

By visiting the website, the public can view a list of all open stores in typhoon-affected areas by clicking the name of the province in the map.

It also allows the public to send feedback to DTI on open stores that are not in the list.

As of Nov. 19, a total of 110 business establishments have resumed operations in the following areas: Tacloban, Ormoc, and Palo in Leyte as well as in Catbalogan and Calbayog in Samar, Maasin and Baybay in Southern Leyte, Borongan in Eastern Samar, and Catarman in Northern Samar.

Among the business establishments that reopened are public markets, grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations, malls, hardware stores, and water refilling stations.