Pay it with a smile and sibuyas

The sudden steep increase in the country’s onion (sibuyas) prices earlier this year is still a favorite topic among citizens since onions are among the main ingredients when cooking various dishes. Others alleged that onions can also be used to relieve the swelling and tightness of the lungs caused by asthma, so onions were usually bought in ample quantities before the price jump that has prevented many from purchasing these.

September to December 2022 saw onions becoming more expensive than even beef and chicken for the first time ever. During that period, a kilogram of onion  P600 – P750 in the local markets was blamed on shortage in supply allegedly due to weather disturbances. Onions became so precious that it was even used as payment for certain products and services. The “Pay with Sibuyas” trend was born.

One such example is a local coffee shop that accepted onions as payment for a coffee. A 1-kilogram of onions is equivalent to 3 drinks in any flavor. This promo was effective from February 09 to February 14, Valentine’s Day, this year.

Just like the bartering system of old, some people are willing to trade their products for onions simply by exchanging them. In spite of the high prices of onions (that has since gone down to more affordable levels), people have used onions to create entertainment and made it a trend. With the high rate of inflation we are experiencing nowadays, people are forced in becoming more creative in using sibuyas not only as an ingredient for their dishes but also as a form of payment for goods and services. – Janthrize Mari Andanan, Manette Sky Agbunag, and Clyde Davies Berry