The consumer price index (CPI) for

September this year rose 6.9 percent, which

is mainly driven by faster food inflation, the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Nine
out of 13 commodity groups recorded higher
inflation rate last month. Top contributors to
the faster pace in price increases were food
and non-alcoholic beverages; housing, water,
electricity, gas and other fuels; and transport.
.“
Risk of future inflation will really
come from the food group,”
“Reducing inflation would really mean
reducing food inflation.” Although the
trend is moving up, there are also
factors that could contribute to taming
the inflation in the coming months.
Aside from globally induced inflation of
prices of basic goods, other important
agricultural products like sugar have been
experiencing massive shortages, forcing
many sugar-based establishments to
increase prices. Recently, it was
discovered that sugar imports have been
stored and hoarded in massive amounts,
causing the deliberate shortage.
 In addition to that, salt; a food-making
essential ingredient, have also been
dwindling in number; a cumulative
result of governmental neglect over the
agricultural sector for the past fifteen
years, according to Department of
Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo
Panganiban.
 Another food shortage is also reported in the
white onion production sector, with vendors
and food production companies complaining of
the lack of enough white onions being sold
wholesale for them to adequately manufacture
essential food products. Apparently, the
problem arises from the lack of enough storage
facilities good enough to store tons of white
onions to be sold in the market.
With the uncontrollable rise of prices
of basic goods induced by the Russo-
Ukrainian conflict, these food shortages
would inevitably make prices go higher,
resulting to more families having to
“tighten their budgets” further, while
business elites siphon so much.