Pork prices at Kamuning Market in Quezon City have surged a week after Holy Week, with vendors citing increased demand, rising gas prices, and higher production costs.
“We really didn’t want prices to go up. We even thought it would go down, but it shot up. We adjusted our prices… we feel for the customers,” said pork vendor Rene Mercado. To cope, Mercado said he now sells in smaller quantities. “We used to get a whole pig, but we don’t anymore. Just what we can sell,” he added.
Prices for kasim, pork chops, pork ribs, pork meat, and special cuts rose to P350/kg from P370/kg last week, while pork belly jumped P20 to P480/kg. These rates exceed the Department of Agriculture’s suggested retail prices, which place pork shoulder at P350/kg and pork belly at P380/kg. Pork bones also increased from P330/kg during Holy Week to P350/kg.
Due to higher costs, vendors observed fewer customers. “As of now, we aren’t selling much because it’s expensive. Customers who used to buy two kilos now only get half,” Mercado said.
Market-goer Anthony Paragas shared, “We’ll have to make do. Sometimes, we just add the pork to vegetables instead of cooking it as a separate dish.”
Meanwhile, chicken prices remain stable, with whole chickens at P200/kg, chicken legs at P150/kg, and wings and drumsticks at P220/kg. Fish prices have mostly held steady, with tilapia at P140–P160/kg and milkfish at P200/kg. Round scad prices even dropped to P200–P240/kg due to abundant supply.
Some vegetables have seen slight price hikes: cabbage rose from P100 to P120/kg, while bitter gourd and eggplant both went from P90 to P100/kg. Chinese cabbage and squash stayed at P20 per bundle, and chayote at P40/kg.