DUE to the high prices of rice and liquified petroleum gas (LPGs), some eateries in Davao City have already implemented adjustments in their food servings.
Based on SunStar Davao’s monitoring, carinderia and eatery owners within the city said rice serving valued at P15 per cup now has “lesser rice” than usual. They have to do it to cope with the high cost of rice and LPG.
This is despite the price ceilings on rice implemented by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., limiting rice prices at P45 per kilogram for well-milled rice and P41 per kilogram for regular-milled rice.
As for the LPGs, Petron said it would implement a P3.75 per kilogram hike for their household LPGs. Other companies are expected to follow suit.
RJ Lagoa, an owner of an eatery in Sasa, Davao City, said there have been no changes in the prices of their dishes. However, they need to adjust servings for their eatery “to survive operations because of higher everyday expenses”.
“Magrenta pa mi and mag-catch up pa sa mga kamahal sa pamaliton, maong kami mo-adjust sab (We are paying rent while coping with high prices of food, so we have no choice but to adjust),” Lagoa said.
Berna Amito, another eatery owner near Agdao, also mentioned in an interview that they have adjusted the prices of their dishes this month by at most P5 to P10 per serving, especially since the LPG price hike is anticipated.
She also said that their cup of rice now costs P15 from P10. If customers would request P10/cup, she would really assert that she can serve P10 worth of serving but it would be just around “roughly three to four spoons of rice”.
These adjustments had worried students and workers in particular. Those eating in eateries now need to re-adjust their budget.
John Marc Casibog, a student who eats in eateries during lunchtime, said that he is now considering eating his lunch at home rather than eating outside.
“Pero kung makalimot ko sa akong balonan, unya mokaon ko sa karenderya, looy ko kay mahal na ang kan-on and medyo makabitin (Let say that if I forget my packed lunch at home and eat at the eatery, I’ll find myself in pitiful situation because the rice is already expensive and their serving is a bit short for my needs),” Casibog said.
Meanwhile, “Patty”, a government employee who requested anonymity, said as a job order employee, eating at eateries saves them time and money over ordering through mobile applications or fast food chains.
However, she said with the rising prices, she cannot help but to re-consider her expenses.
“Wala na ko’y time magbalon, tapos motaas pa ang presyo sa pagkaon… Lisod man sa bulsa pero adjust na sab sa budget, and another stress na naman (I don't have time to cook, and the price of food keeps increasing... it’s tough to deal with it financially so I need to adjust my budget which will be another source of stress),” she said. ICE
