ILOILO City – With the implementation of the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) law and the current rise in inflation, various food commodities have become a lot more expensive for many Ilonggos.
According to vendors at the Iloilo Central Market and the La Paz Public Market, sugar, rice, fish and pork are among the commodities that saw the highest rise in prices in recent months.
According to some of the vendors, slices of small, local fish went from around from P100 to P120 per kilogram to around P150 to P200. Larger types of fish have also increased to around P300 or more per kilo. Pork also rose to around P180 to P230 per kilogram.
Sacks of sugar and rice also went up by as much as 20 to 30 percent reports some vendors, with others saying that it increased by a even larger margin.
La Paz Public Market president Charlie Chan said that the situation is quite bad for vendors and consumers alike.
“Ang mga vendors subong sa pag-libut ko grabe ang pag-taas sang basic commodities. Galalain gid,” Chan said, adding that many buyers are forced to either cut down on their purchases or turn to inferior alternatives just to put food on the table.
Also according to Chan, the only foodstuff that hasn’t increased in price is chicken, and that many people have turned to poultry products for meat.
“Ang mga gabalakal ga tipyuk na lang sa manok. Ginhambal nila nga wala man sila mapili-an, manok man lang. Pati utan nag-saka man,” Chan said.
Chan also said that he believes the recent price hike of petroleum products is also affecting the rising cost of foodstuffs, particularly among wholesalers./PN
