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By Rhick Lars Vladimer Albay
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Thursday, October 19, 2017
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ILOILO City – The Christmas season is often coupled with the rapid inflation of prime commodities, but this year prices will remain largely stable, assures a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) executive.
“If you are asking ‘Paano [ang mga presyo] nitong Christmas?’ Well, we some have good news,” said DTI undersecretary for the Consumer Protection Group Atty. Teodoro Pascua. “We have been able to talk to-manufacturers… and practically all of them have expressed to DTI that they will not change their prices.”
The DTI official said that both pasta and tomato sauce producers have assured they will not hike their prices, despite the expected rise in demand as the holiday season looms.
“Meanwhile, when it comes to fruit cocktails, both Dole and Del Monte have expressed no intentions for a price increase,” Pascua told reporters during the DTI’s Consumer Welfare Month press conference on Oct. 13 at Days Hotel, Iloilo City.
The DTI official cited ham and dairy products as the only items that could potentially increase their prices as December approaches.
“Yung [dairy products], may isang nag-request na tumaas, Alaska, but we are still studying if we should allow or not the increases for their evaporated milk, condensada, and queso de bola products,” he explained.
“For ham, San Miguel and King Sue, they asked can to increase their prices by about 4 percent, because of the dollar exchange rate, but we are still studying it. On the whole, for the usual items we consume for Christmas, their prices remain the same,” guaranteed the consumer protection executive.
Pascua largely attributes the slow inflation to the fair competition in the Philippine food market.
“For the holiday season, we look forward with positive expectations because of thriving competition. More competition means more competitive prices and more benefits for the consumers. Among the rights of a consumer is the right to choose.”/PN
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