PHOTO FROM: INTERNET
The head of Tagbilaran City’s market enterprise office denied Friday that vendors are overcharging customers at public markets, saying the problem is simply missing price tags.
Thea Paras, chief of the City Economic Enterprise Office, said overpricing does not exist but acknowledged some vendors have failed to display prices on their goods. Those vendors received violation notices, she said.
The denial came after Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap ordered an investigation into alleged overpricing at the city’s public markets.
Paras said her office regularly monitors prices even without complaints.
She said some vendors were found not clearly displaying product information and price tags.
Yap warned that vendors caught manipulating prices would lose their selling rights at public markets.
“There is no place for abusive people,” the mayor said.
The mayor also clarified that inspection fees on market products have not been updated in nearly 30 years. She said reforms are needed to modernize fee collection and market operations.
In 2023, the city council passed a market code that raised inspection fees effective Oct. 1, 2025.
The ordinance also improved a collection system that officials said had been vulnerable to corruption.
Councilor Fausto Budlong said the new fee structure should not significantly increase product prices.
PANGLAO AIRPORT TERMINAL FEE EXPENSIVE
Meanwhile, Gov. Aris Aumentado said rising airport fees at Bohol-Panglao International Airport reflect a nationwide trend ordered by federal aviation authorities.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines directed airports to impose a 350-peso terminal fee on passengers, effective Sept. 14, 2025. The increase affects international airports across the country.
Aumentado said the provincial government had no role in the fee hike at the Bohol airport.
The governor pledged to support the local tourism industry despite the higher fees.
He recently visited Japan on a trade mission supporting the Department of Tourism’s efforts to promote Bohol, which relies heavily on tourism revenue.
In Carmen, officials have postponed plans to raise entrance fees at the Chocolate Hills tourist complex, originally scheduled for Oct. 1, 2025.
Carmen Mayor Conchita de los Reyes told Aumentado in a Sept. 25, 2025 letter that the local government decided to delay implementation pending dialogue with provincial agencies.
The municipality had planned to raise fees under a revenue code passed several years ago.
De los Reyes said a joint review will include the Carmen government, Provincial Tourism Office, Provincial Tourism Council and other stakeholders to determine appropriate timing for the increase.
Representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Protected Area Management Board will participate to ensure compliance with guidelines.
The municipality plans to upgrade facilities and improve the tourist experience at the complex, one of Bohol province’s premier attractions.