INSPECTION. An employee of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - Antique monitors the Noche Buena products at a mall in San Jose de Buenavista on Dec. 7, 2021. DTI information officer Lynna Joy Cardinal on Thursday (Dec. 23, 2021) assured enough Noche Buena products in the province for the celebration of Christmas.(Photo courtesy of DTI-Antique) SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique - The provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has assured enough supply of Noche Buena products in major retail stores across the province. Engineer Lynna Joy Cardinal, DTI-Antique information officer, said Thursday there would be no shortage of Noche Buena goods as consumers do their last-minute Christmas shopping. "There are nine major stores in San Jose de Buenavista that have supplies of Noche Buena products, such as pasta and spaghetti sauce," she said in an interview. DTI inspectors are also monitoring other stores with the help of business counselors of their Negosyo Centers in the province's 18 municipalities. Cardinal added that the DTI has intensified its monitoring of Noche Buena products this month by making it weekly from the previous monthly inspection. "Although Antique had been affected by Typhoon Odette but then we also did not have a major road (damage) that could hamper the delivery of goods being ordered by the stores from Iloilo City," she said. Meanwhile, Cardinal announced that four micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) are recipients of the DTI Bagwis Awards in the province this year. The RHI Builders and Contractor's Depot - Antique and Citi Hardware - Antique share the gold, while Kimberly Dawn Trading and Kymearl Construction Supply took the bronze. The award is given to MSMEs that comply with the Fair Trade Laws or uphold the rights and privileges of their consumers and have Consumer Welfare Desks. The three levels of the award are bronze, silver, and the highest is gold. "The Bagwis Award has a three-year validity and after which, the MSMEs are being reevaluated or may opt to apply for upgrading of their level," Cardinal said. (PNA) }