Gov't monitoring rise in tomato prices — Bersamin

The Marcos administration has been monitoring the rise in the price of basic commodities, including tomatoes, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Tuesday.

Reports said tomato prices in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija have significantly increased due to a shortage in supply. Tomatoes are now priced at P130 to P180 per kilo at the Sangitan Public Market.

''Huwag kayong mag-aalala, ang gobyerno ay tinututukan lahat iyan. Parang natural na nangyayari kung minsan, per commodity. Right now, ang star of the moment is kamatis, napansin namin iyan,'' Bersamin said at a Palace press briefing.

(Do not worry, the government is focused on this. This happens naturally sometimes, per commodity. The star of the moment is the tomato, we are aware of this.)

''Other times mostly bigas, mula noong umpisa ng paninilbihan ko sa gabinete, nagtataka kami, kung paano pa mangyari iyan. There is a sufficient supply, but the prices don’t go down. They go up,'' he added.

(Other times it's mostly rice, from the time I started with the Cabinet, we always wonder how this happens.)

He said the government has been proactive in catching hoarders who contribute to the increase in the price of basic commodities.

''So, we have been very active in prosecuting iyong mga hoarders. But that is only one part of the explanation. Mayroong smuggling... but we are looking at all these. Iyong kamatis is local production, bakit mataas,'' Bersamin said.

''I was watching the broadcast last night and I wondered why this could happen to us, an agricultural country,'' he added.

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. convened a full Cabinet meeting today, however, food security was not tackled.

''Wala kaming oras na tinalakay iyong sa Department of Agriculture, pero kagaya ng pinauna namin kanina, si Presidente ay makikipag-confer na lang doon sa relevant secretaries later on doon sa kaniyang private office. But for the full cabinet discussion, iyong mga hindi natalakay ay ganoon ang mangyayari,'' Bersamin said. 

(We had no time to discuss regarding the Department of Agriculture, but like what we said earlier, the President is conferring with the relevant secretaries later in private.)

Reports said the shortage in the supply of tomatoes has been linked to agricultural damage caused by tropical cyclones that struck the Philippines in 2024.

In Metro Manila, tomato prices have also surged as retailers factored in additional costs.
—RF, GMA Integrated News