What is worse than being victimized by a natural calamity?

It is being taken advantage of by greedy businessmen and abandoned by an uncaring, negligent government.

Hoarding and overpricing basic commodities in the aftermath of a major disaster is plainly a crime against humanity.

It goes against the grain of not only core Christian beliefs and values but also all religious teachings on compassion for fellow human beings.

The crime is most outrageous when it involves a vital commodity –water —without which people would die in just a matter of days.         

And this has prompted no less than House Deputy Majority Leader Roman Romulo to ask the Senate to act as fast as possible on a bill that would subject bottled drinking water to automatic price controls during calamities.

“Recent heavy flooding across large parts of Central Luzon has betrayed the extreme vulnerability of affected communities to highly oppressive trade practices,” said Romulo, who represents the lone district of Pasig City in Congress.

He cited reports that in several towns in Bulacan and Pampanga hit by severe flooding, profiteers took advantage the disaster to jack up the price of bottled drinking water to as much as P140 per liter.

“These traders who raked in obscene profits on bottled water and other essential goods at the height of an emergency are repulsive, considering the already harsh conditions that drove many stranded households to hunt rats, snakes and birds as food and other relief supplies ran low,” Romulo said.

The House previously passed on final reading a bill that would add potable water in containers, noodles, fruits, household LPG and kerosene to the list of basic necessities under Republic Act 7851, or the Price Act.

House Bill 4081 has since been forwarded to the Senate, where it is now pending in the committee on trade and commerce.

Under the Price Act, prices of commodities listed as “basic necessities” are automatically frozen at their levels before the declaration of a state of calamity, based on the regular monitoring reports from the Department of Trade and Industry. 

Violators of the price freeze face up to 10 years in prison plus a punitive fine of up to P1 million.

At present, the Price Act’s list of basic necessities is limited to rice, corn, root crops, bread; fresh, dried and canned fish and other marine products; fresh pork, beef and poultry meat; fresh eggs; fresh and processed milk; fresh vegetables; coffee; sugar; cooking oil; salt; laundry soap and detergents; firewood; charcoal; candles; and essential drugs.

Under the law, unless sooner lifted by the President, the price freeze on basic necessities would remain effective for the duration of the condition that brought it about, but not for more than 60 days. 

Government may also use a special buffer fund under the law to buy, import or stockpile any basic necessity and devise ways to distribute them for sale at reasonable prices in areas where there is insufficient supply, or a need to effect changes in prevailing prices.

Even without any widespread flooding, Romulo warned that vital water resources in general and bottled drinking water in particular are exceptionally susceptible to hoarding and profiteering during potential shortages, such as in a severe dry spell.