Price Gouging Due to Sendong

I was out on the weekend trying to buy some Nipa (coconut leave roof panels) to help some of the Sending victims rebuild their houses. My normal supplier was out of stock so I drove around the city trying to buy some. Everywhere I stopped from Dumaguete to Sibulan, Nipa prices have almost doubled since the storm (600P to 700P per 100 pieces). I understand the issues of supply and demand, but these are not rich people buying Nipa. Most are victims of Sendong, many of whom have lost everything and they are trying to rebuild their homes and their lives. I can't believe that anyone could stoop so low!

I spoke with my Nipa supplier in Batinguel today, Boy Muntisa. He had planned to raise his prices by 30P after Christmas but he didn't, due to Sendong, because he wants to help the victims, not gouge them! He is selling Nipa at 320P per 100. At least one good soul around.

Anyway, my wife and I plan to go to YES FM tomorrow to see if we can get one of the DJ's to embarrass them on the air. I don't know what that will do but I gotta try!

Have any of you had similar experiences?

 

Nipa or Sac-Sac? The latter is around 600/100pcs normally, as it lasts alot longer than Nipa.

 

Sac-sac has been P800-P1000 in Bacong for quite some time.

Larry

 

Apologies just checked w/'she who must be obeyed', I bought around 1500 pcs, for my dog runs and aviary, all at P700/100, left side of road, just before the cockpit turnoff in Sibulan as you come from DGT. (You can see it stacked on the side of the National Highway.

 

I was talking about Nipa, made from palm leaves, not sac-sac, made from grass.

 

Sacsac is not made from grass, Sacsac is just liker nipa except wider and longer leaves. You are thinking of carabao grass, there is another name for it that slips my mind right now.

Larry

 

Actually I think that steve means Cogon,which is the long grass used for roofing ..Miguel

 

I've always been told by my Filipino friends that sacsac was made from cogon grass. Regardless, the topic is about the price gouging, not a lesson in roof thatching. When I started this thread, I was wondering if others had experienced people trying to profit from this tragedy as most of the Nipa sellers in Dumaguete and Sibulan are doing? Also, have you run into any other areas of gouging? I was at Premium Hardware yesterday and they told me that steel (like rebar) and cement have increased due to the demand created by Sendong. I will be going to look for coco lumber and hollow blocks today and I suspect the same comment.

 

As I said before, P700/100 for sac-sac, was prior to Sendong and still is the price at the seller I go to. (I didn't negotiate the price, the wife did). As for the price of other construction materials, supply and demand in a free market economy?!!

 

Good opinion, KTM. Lets screw the victims of Sendong with some "free market economy" bull! Maybe we can step on some children and other poor people on the way to becoming rich, haha. Rhoody, feel free to close this thread. It is going nowhere.