A party-list group representing women on Friday expressed concern over the continuing increase in the prices of basic commodities as it reiterated its call for a P10,000 cash aid to people still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession.
As 2021 started, the Gabriela Women’s Party in a statement said the prices of vegetables, pork and other basic commodities marked sharp increases although the country was still in a state of emergency due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic.
“Why are we still short of food supplies? The Departments of Agriculture and of Trade and Industry should be held accountable for this anomalous situation, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said.
Brosas said recent reports indicated that the price of a kilo of eggplant rose to P180 from P140, while the price of squash more than doubled to P100 from P40. The price of chicken per kilo had soared from P200 to P220.
“These prices are unconscionable since millions of our countrymen are still out of work and government support has been lacking. This is the main reason for the demand for a P10,000 cash aid in addition to an effective price freeze supposed to be implemented by the DTI,” Brosas said.
Brosas, an assistant minority leader, said the DSWD still had P83 billion in unspent funds from its various programs, including the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations that it could still spend because the validity of the 2020 budget had been extended to Dec. 31, 2021.
She said the Gabriela Women’s Party would also push for an investigation over the nonstop price hikes of basic goods to enable legislators to interrogate senior officials of concerned agencies and to institute effective measures to curb the accelerating inflation.