The Makabayan bloc has filed a resolution urging the House Committee on Agriculture and Food to investigate the "potential overpricing and manipulation" of prices of onions in the local market.
In House Resolution No. 673 filed on Jan. 4, authors Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Daniel Manuel pointed out that the Php 500 to Php 700 prices of onions have already “surpassed the highest daily minimum wage in the country at P570.”
In the latest price monitoring of the agriculture department as of Jan. 5, the price of red onions in Metro Manila averaged Php 280 to 700 per kilo. Meanwhile, the price of local white onion is Php 400 to Php 600 per kilo.
They added that the price level was also “way higher than the per-kilogram cost of pork in the market.”
Posibleng manipulasyon sa presyo ng sibuyas, pinaiimbestigahan na sa Kamara | via RH 12 @milkyrigonan #SamaSamaTayoPilipinohttps://t.co/kIf8WMVvTI pic.twitter.com/n99NMp8Cyv
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The three lawmakers cited that news reports in mid-November last year stated that the farmgate price of onion was just Php 25 to Php 27 per kilo.
"Such a huge discrepancy indicates potential price manipulation which makes onions more expensive. Aside from that, smuggling and over-importation of onions remain major problems, which also severely affect local supply and prices,” they said.
The Makabayan bloc also said that in the same month, the authorities seized at least 100,000 kilos of yellow onions worth Php 30 million while the Bureau of Customs (BOC) also seized smuggled red onions in Misamis Oriental.
Citing information from Kilusang Mambubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), they said only 10 percent were caught by the agriculture department and BOC, and 90 percent of these smuggled items were sold at high prices on the market.
"Large traders, importers, and even smugglers profit hugely from onions' high prices, while consumers shell out more to purchase onions as a result," the lawmakers said.
They further said that President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. who is the concurrent Agriculture chief is "directly accountable for failing to address the problem of onion price spike despite the widespread concerns of consumers, and must be compelled to stop traders and smugglers in profiteering from the situation."
