MANILA, Philippines – Senator Imee Marcos said on Thursday, July 27, that prices of basic goods continue to be high – contrary to the claim made by her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The senator expressed her view in a media forum, when asked if she believed that prices of basic commodities have dropped.

“Ang problem, kapag bumaba ang inflation, hindi naman bumababa ang presyo. Hayun ang problema. Sa pagkain, sobrang taas ng presyo talaga. At hindi bumababa – nakakasindak ‘yun,” she said.

(When inflation goes down, prices don’t go down – that’s the problem. In terms of food, prices are really high. It’s not going down – that’s frightening.)

Imee added: “Hindi nararamdaman sa ibaba dahil kapag namamalangke ka ang asukal na puti ay P105, ang sibuyas pula ay P140 sobrang mahal pa rin ng bilihin, P200 pa rin ang puti. Sobrang mahal pa rin ng bilihin…. Hindi pa nararamdaman talaga kaya iyon ay kailangang masolusyunan,” she added.

(It’s not being felt by poor families because when you go to the market, the price of white sugar is P105 per kilo, red onion is still pricey at P140, and white onion is still P200 per kilo. Food prices are still high…. It’s [lower inflation] is not being felt so that really has be addressed.)

The senator, however, came to defense of her brother who had been criticized for making inaccurate claims in his second SONA.

She said Marcos was correct in saying that inflation is going down, a fact backed by data from the National Economic and Development Authority and the Philippine Statistics Authority.

“Ang sa palagay ko talagang bumaba ang inflation…. Hindi naman nagsisinungaling ang kapatid ko – ‘yung quinote sa SONA ay tama. Ang problema kapag bumaba ang inflation, hindi naman bumaba ang presyo,” the senator said. 

(I think inflation really went down… My brother was not lying, what he quoted in his SONA is correct. What’s problematic is when inflation goes down, prices don’t go down.)

The President said in his SONA that “inflation rate is moving in the right direction.” Indeed, inflation has gone down from a peak of 8.7% in January 2023, to 5.4% in May. Year-to-date, inflation is at 7.2%, still much higher than the government’s target range of 2% to 4%.

To lower down prices, Imee said that the government should probe why the prices of sugar and onions have skyrocketed. The President earlier ordered an investigation into the onion cartel and smuggling and hoarding of agricultural products but did not set a deadline.

– Rappler.com