Filipinos expressed similar sentiments about the cost of living after veteran actor John Arcilla voiced his frustration over the rising prices of basic goods
The “Heneral Luna” star on Monday, December 23, shared his observation about the rising prices of commodities in the market compared to previous years.
“Mga 5-6 [five to six] years ago, ‘yung 3-4 [three to four] na libo, pang 1 [isang] linggo na, kasama na dun ang GULAY, ISDA at KARNE. (P1,500 na gulay PAMALENGKE, P1,500 na isda at karne),” he wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“Ngayon, pamalengke ng isang linggo, 8-10 [eight to ten] thousand pesos,” John added.
“Kumikita ako ng mataas sa karaniwan. PERO NALULULA NA AKO SA GASTOS. PAANO PA ‘YUNG SIMPLENG MAMAMAYAN? Kala ko ba TITINO NA TAYO? Ano na?” the actor further said.
Hindi ako nagyayabang na mas mataas ang kita ko sa average na wage earner at sa mas MARAMING PILIPINO. Pero PUNYETA ang taas na ng bilihin ngayon ng BASIC COMODITY sa palengke. Mga 5-6 years ago yung 3-4 na libo pang 1 linggo na kasama na dun ang GULAY, ISDA at KARNE. (1,500 na…
— John Arcilla official (@JohnArcilla) December 23, 2024
His post has amassed 12,000 likes, 2,400 reposts and over 240 replies in the thread so far, with some Filipinos expressing their own experiences as consumers.
“A grocery basketful of food items will cost P2,000-2,500 now,” an online user commented.
“Same sentiments, dati ‘yung grocery namin, nasa P3,500 lang. Ngayon, sumasampa na ng P10K. Sobrang mahal na talaga ng bilihin,” another Pinoy wrote.
“3 [Tatlo] lang kami sa bahay. Medyo mahina na kumain. But we spend P1k [P1,000] a day at the wet market. Gulay, karne [or] isda pa lang ‘yan. Wala pa ‘yung naubusan na ng suka, toyo, bigas, or kung gusto mag-soda,”a different X user said.
“Buti nga po nagka-work na ako ulit, kahit minimum. Kasi ang grocery ko every week, kahit na budgeted at pili na lang talaga, almost P1,000 na. Magbabayad pa ng kuryente, tubig, at net. Paano pa ang panggamot,” another Pinoy wrote.
“True. Dati, ‘pag nag-grovery sa SM, ‘yung 1k-2k [P1,000 to P2,000] baktot ka na pagdala, ngayon, isang plastic na lang ng groceries ‘yun,” a different online user said.
“Ang pipino noon, 5 to 7 [P5 to P7] pesos lang, today 40 pesos [P40]… isang tali ng mga talbos (kamote, kangkong, sili etc) 5 pesos [P5] lang noon, now P20 to P30,” another Pinoy commented.
“5-6 [Five to six] years ago, whenever nag-grocery kami, mga 2-3 [two to three] boxes and 1 [isang] plastic bag din nabibili namin, pero rn [right now], 1 [isa] na lang [plus two] platic bags, lol,” an online user said.
“Sa totoong buhay lang. ‘Yung same amount [ng] grocery namin before for a month ay ‘di na kaing dami [nang] dati,” a different online user wrote.
As of December 16, the prices of agricultural commodities like dressed chickens, Baguio beans, tilapia, papaya, and cooking oil have increased compared to November.
According to the latest inspections of the Department of Agriculture, prices of Noche Buena items have also risen by about 5%.
It said that chicken and pork costs more due to the higher demand for such goods this Holiday season.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. assured the public that there would be no more price hikes until the yearend.
Meanwhile, the Department of Finance said the Marcos administration has worked double time to protect the purchasing power of Filipinos from high food prices.
“Year-to-date, the inflation rate stood at 3.2%, well within the Development Budget Coordination Committee assumption of 3.1% to 3.3%, and significantly lower than 6% in 2023,” the DOF said in a report.
