Prices of Most Basic Goods Soared in Last Two Years, Study Shows

Prices of basic goods and services are much higher as of last January, compared to during the same month in 2007 and 2008, a study by the non-government Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) shows.

BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA
Correspondent
Bulatlat

Prices of basic goods and services are much higher as of last January, compared to during the same month in 2007 and 2008, a study by the non-government Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) shows.

There is a 66.63 percent increase in the price of rice, the staple food of more than 80 million Filipinos, as reported in the CWR Price Alert. From P23.67 ($0.51 at the 2007 average exchange rate of $1=P46.148) per kilo in 2007, the price of commercial rice had reached P41.24 ($0.875 at the current exchange rate of $1=P47.13), the report said.

“There have been big increases in the prices of instant noodles and detergent soap,” CWR reported. “While there was a decrease in the price of galunggong (mackerel scad), it remained expensive.”

The price of instant noodles had a 28.89-percent increase, from P4.95/pack ($0.107) in 2007 to P6.38/pack ($0.135) this year. Detergent soaps have recorded a 28.61 percent increase in their prices, from P15.87 ($0.34) per bar in January 2007, to P20.41 ($0.43) in January 2009.

On the other hand, galunggong, which used to be regarded as a poor man’s fish, is now P95 ($2.015) per kilo – P5.00 down from P100 ($2.248) in January 2008.

Prices of sardines, meanwhile, have also increased: from P11.83 ( $0.266) last year, a can is now priced at P12.29 ($0.26), on the average. 9

Even the favorite drink among Filipinos, instant coffee, increased in price. A 25-g pack now costs P16.05 ($0.34), from P15.50 ($0.348) in January 2008.

Meanwhile, although there are changes in the prices of cooking gas, the product remains expensive: P565 to P641.00 per 11-kilo tank ($11.988 to $13.60).

Meanwhile, the price of cooking oil remains at P40/kg ($0.848), while the prices of milk and refined (white) sugar have decreased by at least P1.00.

CWR, founded in 1982, is an independent research institution tackling social and economic issues that affect women in the Philippines.(Bulatlat.com)