Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 10) — A lawmaker wants a House probe into an alleged cartel responsible for the skyrocketing prices of onions.
Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo on Tuesday filed House Resolution No. 681, which calls for a legislative investigation into the alleged existence of a cartel, as well as supposed anti-competitive practices in the onion industry.
Quimbo said she also wants to know if the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has done enough to address the onion crisis.
She noted that the PCC has the authority to detect and prosecute onion cartels, which citizens and policymakers claimed have existed since August last year.
“Congress has to exercise its oversight functions on the PCC, which is expected to effectively perform its mandate to investigate and prosecute anti-competitive practices in the market for onions, considering the continuous rise in the price of onions,” the resolution read.
The retail price ranges of local red and white onions were ₱280 to ₱650 and ₱400 to ₱600 per kilograms, respectively, in select markets in Metro Manila, according to Quimbo, citing Jan. 5 data from the Department of Agriculture.
