Baguio carolers need not get permit but../ ‘Ampaw’ peanut brittles

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- The Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer under OCSWD Officer-in-Charge Liza Bulayungan has said that Christmas carolers are not required to get solicitation permits.
    “Under Dept. of Social Welfare and Development Memorandum Circular No. 05 series of 2021, caroling is one exemption for solicitation permit,” she said.
    However, Bulayungan said carolers are required to observe health protocols especially that there is still active coronavirus disease transmission in the city. “House-to-house and main thoroughfare caroling is still discouraged and minors who engage in caroling must be under the supervision of parents to ensure health protocols are properly observed,” she said.
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Peanut brittle resellers were encouraged to modify the packaging and promotional packages of their products to address growing consumer irritability on what they call the “ampaw” content of peanut brittle sold at the city market
    The city government market division, Dept. of Trade and Industry Baguio-Benguet and Food and Drug Administration made this recommendation during the information-education-communication (IEC) program on proper labeling and other salient provisions of Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines attended by more than 10 Baguio-based manufacturers and more than 30 market stallholders who sell pasalubong products held Nov. 18 at the city public market.
    City Market superintendent Ceasar Emilio said they asked the peanut brittle manufacturers to adjust the contents of their products to match the sizes of the containers and to avoid using big containers for a small amount of merchandise that make it appear that they were cheating on their customers.
     The three agencies said tourists and other patrons of peanut brittle have continued to air complaints on being shortchanged by peanut brittle promos due to the “ampaw” or “hangin” content including those being sold at 5-7 pieces for P100.
    “Kung inyo pong masusing tingnan ang produkto ay maayos sa labas pero kapag ito ay iyong binuksan, hangin at ampaw po ang loob… Madalas din po itong problema ng mga turista na pumupunta at namimili ng mga pasalubong dito sa Baguio City.  Ito rin po ay nakakasira sa imahe ng ating mahal na lungsod,” one complainant wrote the DTI Baguio-Benguet last Oct. 27.
    Some manufacturers and resellers argued that there was no intent of deceive their customers as they have been properly indicating the net weight of the products in their labels.
    “The problem is even if they properly declare the net weight of their products in the label, they use big containers which do not match the amount of the brittle making it appear that there was deception.  To avoid this, we suggested that they increase the amount of the peanut brittle in each container from say 100 grams to 200-250 grams to match the size of these containers,” Emilio said.
    He said the manufacturers agreed to deliberate on the proposals and to announce their agreements in their next meeting.