MANILA, Philippines — Five Chinese businessmen have been arrested in separate raids on shops reportedly selling overpriced face masks.

Acting on reports from netizens, combined elements of the Manila Police District-Special Mayor’s Reaction Team (SMaRT) and Manila City Hall’s Bureau of Permits raided several stores in Bambang and Remigio streets in Rizal Avenue and 999 Mall in Divisoria and made the arrests.

Arrested were Kyimi Sy, 29; Li Ting Nai, 41; Scott Lu, 22; Shi Weixin, 42, and Shi Shao Ming, 36. Three Filipino helpers were also invited for questioning.

People started forming long lines in front of medical supply stores to buy face masks Thursday night minutes after Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced the first recorded case of infection in the country.

Yesterday morning, people who queued to buy the item were disappointed to discover stores had run out of stock or jacked up prices.

Prior to the Taal Volcano eruption, ordinary surgical masks were being sold for P3 and the more expensive N95 masks for P40.

However, the price increased dramatically as supply dwindled and demand grew.

MPD-SMaRT chief Maj. Rosalino Ibay Jr. said surgical masks were being sold for P50 and the N95 for P200 per piece.

Meanwhile, Kaisa para sa Kaunlaran and Filipino-Chinese Amity Club led by Teresita Ang See donated 2,000 face masks to the Intramuros Administration to be distributed to tourists visiting the different tourist spots in the Walled City.

The Tsinoy organizations also turned over 2,000 face masks to Mayor Isko Moreno and another 2,000 to the Manila Traffic Bureau to be distributed to city hall employees and traffic enforcers.

Caloocan Mayor Oscar Malapitan yesterday convened the city health board to discuss precautionary measures to prevent the virus from spreading to his constituents.

In Malabon, Mayor Lenlen Oreta distributed disinfectants to teachers. City hall personnel also visited all the barangays to check if any residents had traveled to China or other affected countries recently.

DTI monitoring mask prices

A consumer group is urging the government to inspect and open up warehouses of face masks to ensure that no hoarding is being done amid reports on the spread of novel coronavirus (nCoV) in the country.

“We suggest to identify the importers and inspect and open up their warehouses,” Laban Konsyumer Inc. president Victor Dimagiba said, citing reports that two million face masks recently entered the country.

In a radio interview earlier this week, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said about two million surgical masks and about 100,000 to 200,000 N95 masks are coming into the country.

Dimagiba said the Bureau of Import Services of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) should be able to identify mask importers in the country as well as their respective warehouse locations.

“The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) can conduct intelligence operation,” he said.

“The Bureau of Import Services of DTI can identify mask importers and warehouse locations,” he added.

In addition, Dimagiba said the Department of Health (DOH) should identify the types of masks that pass the quality tests.

Dimagiba said that suggested retail price for face masks should also be strictly implemented by the local government units.

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo earlier said the SRP for N95 mask is P45 to P105 each.

The prices of disposable face masks should range from P1.10 to P8, according to a price list published by the DOH.

“DTI should buy masks in bulk and distribute to retail outlets at controlled prices,” Dimagiba added.

Meanwhile, Lopez said the DTI continues to monitor prices of masks.

“I don’t think there will be hoarding because they cannot jack up the price anyway as we in government will watch it closely,” he said in a message to reporters.

Lopez emphasized that the problem for now is not price of face masks but the shortage of supply.

“Shortage is due to sudden jump in demand that even their reordered stocks got wiped out immediately. So we advised them to reorder in much bigger quantities,” he added. – With Catherine Talavera