Fisherfolk group urges gov’t to regulate fish prices amid Lent

MANILA, Philippines — Fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) on Wednesday urged the government to address the surge in retail prices of fish during the Holy Week.

In a statement, PAMALAKAYA said that the Department of Agriculture (DA) should intervene to regulate fish prices as it had increased from 10% to 20% due to high demand as private traders “take advantage of the Lent to mark up fish products to unreasonable prices at the expense of consumers.”

“Bagama’t sumirit ang presyo ng isda sa pamilihan, hindi ibig sabihin nito ay mataas na rin ang kuha ng produkto sa mga mangingisda. Dahil nananatiling mga pribadong komersyante ang may kontrol sa presyo ng farm gate at retail. Halimbawa, ang presyo ng isdang galunggong sa pamilihan ay nasa P200 – P220 kada kilo, habang ang presyo ng mga ito sa mga mangingisda ay nasa P80 – P100 lamang kada kilo,” the group’s statement read, quoting Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA national chairperson.

“Sa ganitong kalakaran ay parehong talo ang mangingisda at ordinaryong consumer. Dapat obligahin ang DA na magkaroon ng konkretong hakbang para tiyaking hindi sinasamantala ng mga komersyante ang presyo ng isda sa pamilihan, sa pamamagitan man ito ng price control o pagtatakd ng price ceiling,” it added. 

The latest price bulletin from the DA shows the following price range for fish in several wet markets in Metro Manila:

• Bangus: P140 - P250 per kilogram
• Tilapia: P110 - P160 per kilogram
• Local galunggong: P140 - P300 per kilogram
• Alumahan: P260 - P380 per kilogram

On the other hand, the Department of Agriculture reported the weekly average fish prices from March 18 to 22 as follows:

• Bangus - P192.61 per kilogram
• Tilapia - P141.33 per kilogram
• Local galunggong - P222.66 per kilogram
• Imported galunggong - P193.33 per kilogram
• Alumahan - P307.59 per kilogram

On March 25, a lawmaker has previously called on the Agriculture department and the Department of Trade and Industry to monitor possible price surges during the Holy Week and set suggested retail prices on basic commodities.

The spike in fish prices during Holy Week is attributed to the high demand for fish, as Catholics traditionally observe fasting or abstinence from meat during this season.

The Holy Week started on March 24 (Palm Sunday) and will end on March 31 (Easter Sunday).