Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it has received price-increase requests from manufacturers of “noche buena” products such as ham, queso de bola, macaroni salad and fruit cocktail.
“Some manufacturers would like to increase price for certain noche buena products such as ham, queso de bola, macaroni salad and fruit cocktail,” Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual told reporters via Viber on Thursday.
In a televised interview on Thursday, DTI-Consumer Protection Group Ann Claire Cabochan assured consumers that there is enough supply of noche buena products.
“Dun po sa pag-ikot namin at pakikipag-ugnayan namin sa mga manufacturers ng noche buena products, first of all, mayroon tayong sapat na supply, sa pag-iikot po namin even the store managers were saying na they expect their new inventory or replenishment to reach their groceries and supermarkets within the week or next two weeks,” Cabochan said.
As for the price of these holiday goods, the Trade official pointed to the global headwinds, noting that the economic challenges in the global arena are causing the prices of goods to soar.
“Dun naman po sa presyo dahil po sa nangyayari it’s not only here sa Pilipinas, kahit naman po sa ibang bansa sa buong mundo ay nagkakaroon po talaga ng mga supply chain disruptions at may changes in the price of oil, so iyong logistics po pati ’yung mga materials nag-iiba po ng presyo,” the Trade assistant secretary stressed.
Cabochan revealed that manufacturers of these products notified them that they will impose price increases on some of the noche buena products. However, she added that not all holiday goods will implement a price increase.
Meanwhile, the Trade assistant secretary said DTI is continuously coordinating with the manufacturers of the products who wish to implement a price increase to “temper” the increase.
Last August, DTI-CPG Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo said in a televised interview that DTI will release a price guide of noche buena products by the last week of October or early November.
While it is not a suggested retail price (SRP) list, Castelo earlier said that the noche buena price guide that DTI will release should only serve as a guide for consumers to know how much they should be paying for a certain good or product.
Last year, the Trade department’s price guide for noche buena products included ham, keso de bola, cheese, sandwich spread, mayonnaise, pasta or spaghetti, elbow macaroni, salad macaroni, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, and creamer or all purpose cream.
Castelo also earlier gave a tip to save money with the holidays fast approaching. She advised consumers to stock up on noche buena goods if they can afford to do so, since prices of Christmas goods are still expected to increase as demand is expected to go up leading up to the Christmas festivities in December.