MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte late Monday warned hoarders seeking to make a profit out of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
In his speech, Duterte reiterated that a prize freeze is in effect under the state of public health emergency.
"Uulitin ko, hindi ito panahon para kumita. Hindi ito panahon ng pagsasamantala," he said.
According to the data of the Philippine National Police Directorate for Operations, 593 people have been arrested for hoarding, profiteering or manipulation of prices of goods from March 17 to 29.
Duterte said the government is ensuring the flow of goods is unhampered.
"A price freeze of commodities is already in effect and measures to curtail hoarding and profiteering are also in place."
The president earlier placed the country under a state of public health emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Luzon-wide lockdown.
The health department tallied on Monday 1,546 total cases of COVID-19 in the country so far, with 78 fatalities and 42 recoveries.