By CESAR JOLITO III

The Bacolod City Agriculture Office is still waiting for the official guidelines on the implementation and monitoring of the new suggested retail price (SRP) for onions, which is expected to take effect starting December 1.

An official from the office said no formal directive has been released to local authorities as of today, noting that the monitoring mechanics and penalties for violators will be detailed once the guidelines are issued.

“We are also expecting penalties for those who will not comply with the policy. But as of now, we are still waiting for the official guidelines,” the office said in a statement.

It clarified growing public confusion on the matter, stressing that the SRP covers only imported red and white onions — not locally produced ones.

“Local onions are not covered by SRP because our local production volume is still very small compared to imported supply. Local produce also has a different flavor profile compared to imported onions,” it added.

The city agriculture office is also preparing materials to visually compare imported and local onions to help consumers distinguish between the two.

“We will prepare the comparison within the day and send it for public reference,” it said.

Negros still has no local onion production

The city agriculture office further admitted that Negros currently does not produce its own onions, saying the supply in the province is fully dependent on imported stocks from abroad.

“Wala kita local production diri subong. Ang ara sa Negros is imported gid, gikan sa guwa sang Pilipinas,” they said.

However, efforts to change this are underway.

The province has already started preliminary work through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist to develop potential onion production areas.

“Last year pa namon ginsuguran ang demo on onion production with the province,” the official noted.

“We already identified areas, and by 2026, a budget will be allocated so we can formally begin local onion production,” it said./CJ, WDJ