The issuance of Executive Order 41 will significantly reduce the prices of consumer goods as the Christmas season approaches, an official of the Department of Trade and Industry said Saturday.

In a news forum on Saturday, DTI Undersecretary for Communication Kim Lokin said the order will promote ease of doing business.

“So that, at the end of the day, when the product reaches them, goods and even services mababa po, kahit papaano ay kaya pa po nila – affordable and kung hindi man po bumaba ay hindi naman po tataas,” Lokin said, thanking the President for issuing EO 41.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued EO 41 on 25 September, ordering local government units to suspend the collection of “pass-through fees.”

Malacañang said the order will “ensure the efficient movement of goods across regions”— aligned with the strategies to revitalize local industries under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

Rina Papa, vice president of the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations,  lauded the issuance of the order, saying it would ease the burden on the truck industry going through the “pass-through fees” system.

Papa cited the City of Manila’s imposition of road user taxes, which would cost around P2,000 to 2,500 per truck each month.

“Multiplying that by 12 months for every truck, it will be almost P30,000 additional logistics cost to truckers. It’s a burden to truckers because the two major international ports are located in Manila,” she said.

Papa noted that the enforcement of the President’s order would be a huge relief to the truck owners.

“We expect that through the EO, LGUs would be able to take into consideration the general impact of imposing taxes, levies and permits,” she added.