MANILA, Philippines – With prices soaring to record-highs during the recent holidays, onions have quite literally become as good as cash.

Customers flocked to the Panay Avenue branch of Japan Home Centre in Quezon City as it held its “Pay with Sibuyas” campaign for one day only on Saturday, February 4. The retail store accepted all kinds of elusive (and expensive) onions as payment for select in-store items.

Customers can swap one onion in exchange for their chosen product. A maximum of three items per purchase was allowed per customer.

Japan Home Centre said that all collected onions are given back to the community pantry, which provides free food for those in need. 

Over the past months, the price of onions in the market have skyrocketed, which climbed to as high as P700 per kilo in December 2022. Such prices were in stark contrast to the average price of onions worldwide at the time, which was only around $1.54 per kilo, or around P84.87.

[OPINION] Why is Japan Home Centre accepting sibuyas as payment?

The onion crisis has since sparked debate on the country’s messy importation strategy and lack of proper cold storage infrastructure, which have only further burdened farmers and those on the margins. – Rappler.com