Cost of manufactured goods stable NPCC

MANILA, Philippines – Despite an oil price hike, the cost of manufactured goods has remained stable, the government said yesterday.

Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya told reporters only the prices of construction materials have increased.

“As of now there are no adjustments,” she said in a press conference after the National Price Coordinating Council meeting yesterday afternoon.

“Consumers need not worry because the price of oil has no effect on the price of manufactured basic goods.”  

Cement prices went up by P5, while the price of steel bars jumped 70 percent to 75 percent in the last six months, she added.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP) is asking the government for a P3 subsidy for diesel.

Retired colonel Rodolfo Ocampo, CTAP president, said the subsidy, which can be given for three months, can help haulers cope with the rising prices.

“We are asking for temporary relief similar to what is given to buses and jeeps,” he said.

“With the subsidy, we will no longer increase prices. We haven’t implemented any price increase yet.”

Their rates are still based on the P30 per liter price of diesel. Diesel currently retails for P42.98 per liter, Ocampo said.

In an interview at the sidelines of the NPCC meeting, Antonio Lorenzana, PhilSteel Holdings executive vice president, said the hike in the price of steel bars has little to do with oil prices.

“The cost of making steel and the global demand are the main reasons why the price went up,” he said.

Lorenzana said all the raw materials needed to produce steel are imported.

PhilSteel normally gets their raw materials from neighboring countries like Taiwan and China, he added.

On the other hand, Maglaya said consumers need to keep an eye on the price of tin cans, whose makers might increase their price.

Milk manufacturers still have not raised their prices, which is affected by the cost of tin cans, she added.

Representatives from the tin can industry were not present during the meeting yesterday.

School supplies such as notebooks, pad paper, pencils and other materials are in adequate supply and prices are the same as last year, Maglaya said.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said the price of rice has eased up compared to that in April.

“There has been an improvement because now you can buy rice at P29 to P30 per kilo compared to the market price in April which was P32 per kilo,” he said.

NFA rice is still available at P25 per kilo in markets and P18.25 per kilo at Bigasan ng Bayan.

Also available at the Bigasan ng Bayan are tinapay ng bayan (subsidized bread). Pan de sal here is sold cheaper at P1.71 a piece as compared to P2.50 in other bakeries.

“We are expanding the availability of the tinapay ng bayan,” he said.

Currently, the cheaper pan de sal is available in 470 outlets.

The price of pork is P170 to P180 per kilo. Chicken is at P120 per kilo.

Sugar is at P38 per kilo while milkfish or bangus can be bought for P80 to P90.

Price of onion is expected to drop to P65 per kilo in bagsakan centers from P80 per kilo.