A leader of the House of Representatives has filed Resolution 681 directing two committees of the lower chamber to look into the alleged anti-competitive practices, the alleged existence of a cartel in the onion industry and the sufficiency of the interventions of the Philippine Competition Commission on the matter.
According to price monitoring data from the DA, as of January 5, 2023, Quimbo said the retail prices of local red onion and local white onion were at P280 to P650 and P400 to P600, respectively, in select markets in the National Capital Region, which are significantly higher compared to the prevailing retail price of local red onion of P220 and imported white onion at P80 on the same day last year.
Also, on December 13, 2022, Quimbo said a DA official admitted that he received information that some onions bought at a price lower than production cost had not yet been released to the market, and that a syndicate may be hoarding red onions. Also, she said 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.Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman said it would investigate officials of DA and the Food Terminal Incorporated over the procurement of onions.