DTI says public should be 'creative' as Noche Buena product prices remain high

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has called on the public to be "creative" and mix and match food items this holiday season, as prices remain high ahead of Christmas and the New Year.

According to Trade Assistant Secretary Amanda Nograles, there need not be ham and spaghetti for Christmas celebrations, as prices of 150 Noche Buena items have reported increases.

"Kaya po iyong challenge namin this year, maging malikhain tayo, kasi maaari naman katulad nga ng sabi natin earlier, hindi naman po kailangan pag sinabing Noche Buena kailangan hamon, kailangan spaghetti," she said on "The Mangahas Interviews."

"Puwede tayong mag mix-and-match dito sa price guide natin kasi 'yun nga po, basta magkakasama ang pamilya, nagbibigay, nagthe-thanksgiving tayo before Christmas," she added.

(This is why our challenge to the public this year is to be creative because as we said earlier, Noche Buena does not need to have ham or spaghetti. We can mix and match from the price guide, as long as the family is together, giving thanks before Christmas.)

The DTI in November released a price guide for Noche Buena items, which indicated that 152 out of 240 Christmas product lines — including ham, fruit cocktail, and spaghetti sauce — saw increases from last year.

Nograles said that if shelf prices are higher than those indicated in the DTI guide, this should be reported to the agency which will then discuss with the manufacturers and retailers.

“Kakausapin namin ang manufacturer para lang to bring to their attention, ma-alert lang sila na nabebenta iyong produkto nila sa ganitong retailer at this price na hindi naman sumusunod sa price guide,” she said.

(We will talk to the manufacturer to bring to their attention and alert them that their products are being sold in retailers at a price that does not adhere to the price guide.)

Inflation clocked in at a 20-month low of 4.1% in November bringing the year-to-date figure to 6.2%, still higher than the government’s target range of 2.0% to 4.0%.

The heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages index — which had a 59.5% share to the overall decline last month — saw an inflation rate of 5.7% in November, down from 7.0% in October. —KBK, GMA Integrated News