(Bulatlat) MANILA – As a stall owner in one of Manila’s Altura market, Erlinda Dreo said selling fish has been her family’s main source of income for nearly two decades. The market sits near the busy Nagtahan Bridge, where car honks and the smell of fresh produce fills the air.
The busy market is dim, lit only with small bulbs in the stalls as buyers, mostly coming from poor and workers communities nearby, haggle their way to buying fresh produce. Dreo would have gladly given in to their offer but the harsh reality is that the recent months have also become harder for her and fellow market vendors with the increasing prices of everything.
“It has really affected us. You have to scrimp because our daily profit has decreased from P500 to P300. We have to make do with that,” Dreo told Bulatlat in Filipino.
The Philippines has recently reached an all-time high of 7.7 inflation rate, which independent thinktank Ibon Foundation described as the “fastest” in the past 14 years. So far, the Philippine government said tempering the increasing prices is its top priority and has offered to raise interest rates… Read More
