LAOAG CITY, July 21 -- A price freeze is in effect in Bagulin, La Union, following the declaration of a state of calamity due to a dengue outbreak, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - Ilocos Region confirmed on Tuesday.

Retailers are required to maintain the prices of basic necessities at their prevailing levels from the time the outbreak was officially declared.

"This ensures that prices of basic necessities remain stable while the government responds to the public health emergency," DTI-La Union Consumer Protection Division chief Marissa Nonesa said at a virtual conference.

A report from the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit reported 1,005 cases of dengue, with four deaths from January to July. Bagulin accounted ...