Charles Teves
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) urged Filipino families to start shopping for the holidays as retail prices of goods will inevitably become more expensive as early as October.
In a public briefing, Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said there is an expected increase of at least 20 percent on Noche Buena items.
“We will soon release a Noche Buena bulletin maybe by the last week of October or early November to guide our consumers on the right prices of items for Noche Buena,” she said on August 26.
Castelo said families can now start buying items that don’t expire in the next four months.
I wonder why most families do not do this. It seems so obvious. Maybe for once in my life I should talk to a family that does not do this and find out why https://t.co/r9vlKI9PIq
— sa islang panopticon (@goodkidbikecity) August 26, 2022
“There are many Christmas products that don’t easily expire. So, if you can already stock up on some of these items, please do so while the prices are still not moving,” she added.
To save money, Castelo advised the public to always look out for promo bundles for Christmas products.
“You can save as much as P20 up to P70 if you purchase bundled products,” she said.
She noted that the prices of Christmas products last year are still the same, including ham, cheese, keso de bola, sandwich spread, mayonnaise, pasta noodles, spaghetti sauce, and tomato sauce.
“Eventually, the price will increase again or when it’s close. Because when people are in a hurry, they don’t notice that the price has increased or that the retailers or manufacturers have raised your price, so it’s better for them to buy earlier,” she added.
Some netizens were surprised to know that not many families are buying early.
I wonder why most families do not do this. It seems so obvious. Maybe for once in my life I should talk to a family that does not do this and find out why https://t.co/r9vlKI9PIq
— sa islang panopticon (@goodkidbikecity) August 26, 2022
Meanwhile, others said that Costelo’s advice wouldn’t be doable as people have other financial obligations.
Wala pa nga si Jose Mari Chan eh… Sumisilip-silip pa lang. https://t.co/ZarUGAJ3AS
— JC Punongbayan (@jcpunongbayan) August 26, 2022
Ang hirap sa mga tulad ni ma'am may 'suggestion' na out of touch sa reality ng mga karaniwang mamamayan/mamimili na pinagkakasya ang sahod para umabot sa susunod pa ulit na sahod. Kayo po ba ang sasagot sa pambili ma'am? https://t.co/Zhf9jRRTj1
— ctrl alt del (@bebraveenough) August 26, 2022
https://twitter.com/dancelmd/status/1563032409880539140?s=20&t=jXKx9ObfEKOxqqvNsP8Fhw
Ang layo pa ng pasko (4 months pa!) para mamili ng pang noche buena ngayon.
Okay lang ba siya? https://t.co/Wlz1yJlDR7
— Kristoffer Pasion (@indiohistorian) August 26, 2022
Despite the criticism, Castelo’s advice makes sense since that inflation in the country is causing a lot of trouble for families.
The 20 percent increase in the upcoming ‘ber’ months will make purchases heavier on people’s wallets.
