These days, like many homemakers, we dread going to the market. Prices have gone up by about 25% to 30%. LPG now cost P30 more, pork and beef are from P150 and P160 a kilo, respectively. Premium cuts, of course, command a higher price like beef camto at P180 a kilo. Tomatoes start at P40 and onions at P50. Before anybody could get their much-awaited refund, Meralco is threatening another increase. The poor wage earner must now juggle his/her funds, buying only the necessary stuff.
A day after Christmas, we bravely face the New Year, hopeful for some relief. But with the devastation of the recent typhoons, farmers can hardly plant, transport of goods will be difficult through impassable roads. Maybe we should all be backyard farmers. Some vegetables are easy to grow, like patola and upo; even bell peppers bloom with little care.
We in the city are luckier. Traffic is bad, but we have continued access to wet markets and shopping centers. Of course we pay the price of having to spend more for our daily needs like food, some of which may no longer be fresh: the greens are limp, tomatoes have wrinkled skin and onions too soft to the touch. A perennial concern is garbage. Strewn all over the metropolis, this is a health hazard and threatens lives. Our mayor in Parañaque promised to solve this problem, but he has apparently forgotten after being elected. Every night we pass Sucat, coming from the airport, we see a mountain of garbage on the street with residents, young and old, digging into the trash, perhaps hoping to get some left-over food or clothing to protect them from the cold. Poverty might be difficult to solve, but must we aggravate it by exposing people to disease?
The Tanauan (Batangas) wet market, like that of Biñan (Laguna), is filthy. One gets to the inner section through a back door where the stench of garbage pervades. When we last visited, we were told there was a political feud that need to be solved and therefore town officials have forgotten what they were elected to do. We bought tawilis at P140 a kilo. Tomatoes and onions were as costly as in the city. A shock was mangoes at P95 a kilo.
Finally we find a Robinson’s that is brightly lit and laid out to be more conducive to pleasurable shopping. The one at Filinvest in Muntinlupa does not have a supermarkert, but the newly-opened massive structure on the corner of EDSA and Pioneer has everything. We are particularly happy about their Home Section where kitchenware and gadgets are unique and priced moderately. Staff are also more attentive to customers. The EDSA- Pioneer supermarket is fully stocked and signs are prominently visible. We found big Magnolia chicken weighing nearly 1.5 kilos there. We need to go back to totally explore the area. By the exit toward the parking lot, a couple of girls hand out free parking coupons.
While waiting for our friends at Greenhills, we found the AEM Food Korner along Connecticut off Missouri. They have fresh supplies of apples, oranges, etc. In the air-conditioned room are assorted items, like salmon skin chicharon at P95 a pack, Libby’s Chicken Vienna Sausage at P35 a tin, Thai sweets. The two ladies who man the store are both gracious.
One of the most expensive fruits these days is mangosteen. On the road to Tagaytay and in some stores, it sells at P250 a kilo. Luckily at SM it is tagged at P117.
Let’s welcome 2005 with great optimism!