The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Tuesday, Nov. 21, released the 2023 noche buena price guide wherein many noche buena items have increased as compared to last year.
According to DTI, 152 out of 240 products hiked in prices "as suggested by manufacturers to retailers."
The products include ham, fruit cocktails, cheese, queso de bola, mayonnaise, all-purpose cream, pasta, elbow macaroni, salad macaroni, and spaghetti sauce.
"Prices are effective until 31 December 2023," the trade department said.
DTI provided tips for consumers, advising them to practice "comparison shopping and consider all your options" and "always check the labels of products before purchasing."
"Inspect the quality of the products to avoid counterfeit Noche Buena items. Buy only from your trusted stores. Watch out for the many discounts, promo deals, and giveaways," it added.
In a television interview, DTI Consumer Protection Group Asec. Amanda Nograles noted that there is only a five percent increase in noche buena prices this year.
"[This is] much lower from last year's average price increase at 11 percent. As I said, yung mga presyo ng bilhin na na nag-increase, karamihan nandoon sa 1 to 5 percent increase lang, versus last year na ang majority sa price increase ay 6 to 10 percent," she added.
Nograles also highlighted that there are items that have lower prices and some remain unchanged this year.
"Under our noche buena price guide, 34 SKUs [stock keeping unit] retained their prices, meaning walang change sa prices nila. While 21 SKUs ay nag-decrease naman ng prices," she said.
The DTI official noted that the 2023 noche buena price guide is just a guide for consumer and this cannot be controlled by the trade department.
"The items listed here, hindi siya considered as basic necessities and prime commodities na subject to an SRP [....] Ito ay guide siya, hindi siya actionable with the same force as SRP bulletin," Nograles said.
