President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. strongly denounced the surging prices of agricultural products in the first quarter of 2023, attributing them solely to the illegal activities of smuggling and hoarding carried out by organized crime syndicates.
During this period, the local markets witnessed onion prices skyrocketing to range of P200-P350 per kilogram.
Making his stance clear, Marcos emphasized that it is undeniable that the 87% price increase in January and February was completely unjustified.
“I think maliwanag na maliwanag na sa ating lahat na ang pagtaas ng presyo by 87% nung nakaraang Enero, Pebrero, walang dahilan ‘yun," said the president.
"Kumpleto ang onion dito, nagho-hoard lang talaga at iniipit yun presyo tapos yung cold storage ay hindi pinapagamit sa iba para ‘yung kontrolado lang ng sindikato na onion, ‘yun lang ang aabot sa palengke," he added.
As the concurrent Department of Agriculture (DA) chief, Marcos pledged an unwavering commitment to eradicate these illicit syndicates.
"Yung mga simpleng problem na sinusundan natin, yung rice smuggling, sugar smuggling, onion smuggling. Gagawin natin lahat para matigil yan, yung hoarding,” he said.
Reports on surging prices of onion started last year with P600 per kilo in some markets, as monitored by the DA.
Due to this, the agricultural department has authorized the importation of 21,060 metric tons (MT) of fresh yellow and red onions which was said to address the supply gap prior to peak harvest in 2023.
However, it was revealed that the Philippines lost 100,000 MT of onions in 2022 due to the lack of cold storage and improper handling.
Meanwhile, in May of this year, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) assured that there is a sufficient supply of onions in the country amid the rising onion prices in the market.
Based on DA's latest price monitoring, the price of local red onion ranges P150 to P180 per kilogram while the local white onion is at P130 to P180.
