Gradual noche buena shopping seen; meat prices go up
Metro Manila, Philippines - Some consumers have opted for piecemeal purchase of food items for the Christmas celebration, while meat prices are seen going up days before the noche buena tradition.
Annalisa Budlayan, 45, said she already bought ingredients for salad and spaghetti. She has a family of five.
“Bawat sahod, binibili na siya pakonti-konti para makumpleto siya pagdating ng pasko,” Budlayan told NewsWatch Plus while buying meat at the Guadalupe Public Market in Makati City. “Mahal, ‘di kaya nang biglaan.”
[Translation: Once we get our salary, we buy food items gradually to complete them by Christmas. The products are expensive. We cannot buy in one go.]
Trade Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. made the rounds at the Guadalupe market and some nearby groceries on Thursday, Dec. 19, to monitor prices of basic goods.
Laurel told reporters that retailers have raised prices because of higher demand.
He said there was a P20 increase in chicken meat, but added this is normal for the holiday season.
The agriculture chief cited some factors for the increase in other meat products.
“May problema pa rin sa ASF (African Swine Fever) kaya sa baboy expected pa rin tumaas,” Laurel said.
[Translation: There’s still a problem with ASF that’s why pork prices are expected to increase.]
“Medyo napansin ko na mahal ‘yong isda pero ganun talaga kasi closed season ng fishing… until end of January,” he said.
[Translation: I also saw that fish was more expensive, but that would be the case since it’s closed fishing season until the end of January.]
As of Dec. 18, the Department of Agriculture said pork products range from P230 per kilogram (kg) to P410/kg in Metro Manila markets. Whole chicken is sold at P180/kg to P230/kg, while fish at P100/kg to P380/kg.
Meat vendors also said consumers have complained of high prices of meat.
“Hindi naman po siya biglaan ang pagtaas. P5, P3 ganyan, every day tumataas,” said Marlene Santos, who was selling chicken meat.
“Parehas lang ‘yong supply kaso ang taas ng puhunan,” she said.
[Translation: The price increase was not abrupt. It went up by P5, P3, every day.]
Malou Gallos, a pork vendor, also said she observed that a number are buying meat only for the day, a different situation from previous seasons.
“Dati malayo pa lang may mga booking naman kami ng order-order ngayon wala na po,” Gallos said. “Kung ano ang araw na kailangan dun lang sila bumibili.”
[Translation: Before, we were booked with orders ahead of time, but that’s not the case now. They only buy what they need for the day.]
Noche Buena
Sabrina Cortez, a 46-year-old single mother, has also began grocery shopping for Noche Buena with only P1,500 as budget. She said she is expecting more funds once she pays other household expenses.
“Mas gugustuhin mo bumili ng isang set. ‘Yong male-less ko sa kanya, ipambibili ko na lang ng ingredients at ng iba,” she said of her budget plan.
[Translation: You would want to buy a set already. What I could save from that can be bought with other ingredients.]
Roque said some of the noche buena items have less than 5% price increase until year-end, as agreed in the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) meeting with manufacturers.
RELATED: Price increase for over 100 ‘noche buena’ items — DTI
“Kinausap namin ‘yong [We talked with] manufacturers and mga brand owners if they can just leave the prices the same as last year,” Roque told reporters. “Pero ‘yong mga iba, because of mataas ‘yong cost nila, mataas din ang dollar [But others have high costs, there’s a high dollar exchange], they also need to put up their price.”
The two secretaries also posted copies of the Noche Buena price guide in their market visits.
“‘Young consumers, dapat maging [Consumers must be] wise,” she said. “We have the bulletin… may price monitoring do’n [there’s price monitoring], best for them to check the prices there.”
