By Joann Villanueva | Philippine News Agency
Price monitoring of basic commodities will continue to ensure that retailers will not raise their prices to the detriment of the public, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Sec. Cristina Roque said Friday.
This, as she assures the public that prices of basic goods remain generally unchanged ahead of the Christmas holiday.
“Continuous pa rin ang monitoring natin ng mga supermarkets and groceries for the basic necessities and prime commodities kasi utos ng ating Pangulo to make sure there is no price increase for basic commodities and prime necessities until January,” she said in a briefing at the DTI office in Makati City.
With prices of basic goods remaining steady, Roque maintained that a family of four or less will have a decent Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) meal worth P500, reiterating what she said in a radio interview Thursday.
Citing prices of basic commodities included in the list of Noche Buena items that DTI released early November, Roque said a small family can afford to have spaghetti or salad for their Christmas Eve meal without breaking the bank.
Among the items in the list are ham, with a minimum price of P170 for a 500-gram; spaghetti noodles, minimum of P30 for a 250-gram pack; macaroni, P24 per 200-gram; mayonnaise, P121.30/220 ml jar; cheese spread, P12/24 g sachet; queso de bola, P211.60 for a 300 gram; fruit cocktail, P61.76/432 g can; and all purpose cream, P36.50 per 110 ml pack.
Roque said the public can check these prices at the Facebook page and website of DTI, as well as the grocery stores, where these should be posted in areas accessible to the public.
Earlier, Roque said most basic goods remain at their 2024 level, with several items like ham having lower prices as producers heed the government’s call to keep their prices steady for the benefit of the public.
