by Franklin P.
Gumapon
DIPOLOG CITY, July
11 (PIA) - - As a sequel to the consumer assembly held here last June 8,
representatives from the different business establishments and utilities have
turned up to answer the issues raised by the consuming public in a gathering
yesterday.
The activity, which
was spearheaded by the provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) and the Dipolog Consumers’ Watch Group, Inc., sought to thresh out some
issues raised by the consumers against certain business establishments and
utilities in the city.
One of the issues
tackled in yesterday’s consumer assembly was on the tap water supplied by the
Dipolog City Water District (DCWD) which is allegedly dirty, rusty and with too
much chlorine. In his answer to this concern, DCWD manager Pablito Paluca
admitted that some of DCWD’s deep wells draw off water with high iron content thus
discoloring the water. He, however, explained that the water distributed to the
subscribers is safe.
Paluca also
disclosed that the DCWD is now using chlorine dioxide, a healthier chemical, in
treating its water. “This chemical has no smell,” he said.
Another issue
raised in said gathering was on the poor signal experienced by subscribers of
SMART Communications these days. The
SMART representative told the participants that the company is now in the
process of upgrading its equipment to provide better signal and services to its
subscribers.
In a related
development, the assembly has also elicited a common sentiment among drugstore
owners involving the granting of 20 percent discount on medicines purchased by
senior citizens.
Dipolog Pharmacists
Association President Evelyn Atillo said that the law granting the senior citizens
20 percent off when buying their drugs must be reviewed by our lawmakers as
this has adversely affected small drugstores.
“Our markup price
on drugs is only three percent. If a senior citizen buys medicines worth P2
thousand, he/she would have a discount amounting to P400 as provided for by
law. Now, the profit from the P2 thousand worth of drugs is only P60. What will
happen to our capital? This is why even the drugstores operated by certain
groups of senior citizens have closed shop,” Atillo explained.
Yesterday’s
consumer assembly was attended by representatives from the water districts of
Dipolog and Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative (ZANECO), SMART
Communications, Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Pharmacists Association,
major business establishments in the city, media practitioners, barangay
officials, consumers group and other stakeholders.
Dipolog Consumers’
Watch Group President Michael Malacca said the gathering has provided objective
responses from the concerned establishments and agencies to the issues and
concerns raised by the consumers. (FPG/PIA-Zamboanga del Norte)