MANILA — The prices of basic and prime commodities remain stable in Batangas province despite the recent eruption of the Taal volcano, the Department of Trade and Industry said Tuesday.

Taal Volcano was placed under Alert Level 3 on Saturday morning following a "short-lived phreatomagmatic burst with plumes reaching up to 1,500 meters," according to the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology.

“Ang mga presyo at ‘yung mga SRP, suggested retail price, at ‘yung supply ay nananatiling stable (The prices as well as SRP remain stable)," DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez told President Rodrigo Duterte during a meeting in Davao.

He said the update covers areas affected by the Taal unrest, namely Mataasnakahoy, Alitagtag, Santa Teresita, Lemery, Malvar, Tanauan, Lipa City, and Santo Tomas in Batangas.

Lopez said the DTI continues to monitor the prices of commodities in high-risk cities and municipalities.

The trade secretary also reported a stable inventory of basic products, such as canned goods, milk, and noodles.

In terms of "base inventory", canned sardines have about 18 to 50 days of inventory at the manufacturing level, while retailers have 59 to 65 days worth of stocks, Lopez said.

For canned meat, manufacturing plants keep an inventory of 14 to 56 days worth, while groceries and supermarkets maintain about 2 months or 62 to 72 days worth of supplies, he said.

Milk product manufacturers, meanwhile, have 25 to 52 days of inventory, while retailers have 23 to 41 days stock. For instant noodles, plants keep 12 to 14 days worth of goods, while retailers maintain 28 to 32 days, Lopez said.

Flour has about 90 days of inventory, he added.

DTI-Batangas distributes livelihood kits to affected micro, small, and medium enterprises, the agency said.

Taal's eruption in 2020 left some P3 billion in damage to the agriculture sector alone, data showed.

Cavite and Batangas, which are affected by the Taal volcano activity, are among the main suppliers of coffee in the country. Tagaytay City, meanwhile, draws tourists partly due to the overlooking view of the active volcano.

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— with a report from Agance France Presse

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