Photo credit: Philippine Competition Commission

In a big move against unfair trade practices, the Philippine Competition Commission’s (PCC) Enforcement Office has dropped the hammer on a group of onion traders. The charges? Allegedly conspiring to control the supply and prices of imported onions in the Philippines.

If you’ve ever wondered why the price of onions skyrocketed recently, this might be part of the answer. The PCC has accused several major players in the onion trading game of entering into shady deals that hurt competition and, ultimately, consumers.

So, who’s involved? The list is quite the lineup: Philippine Vieva Group of Companies, Inc. (Phil. Vieva Group), Tian Long Corp., La Reina Fresh Vegetables & Young Indoor Plants, Inc., Yom Trading Corporation, Vegetable Importers, Exporters & Vendors Association of the Philippines (VIEVA Phils.), and Golden Shine International Freight Forwarders Corp.

According to the PCC, these companies didn’t just trade onions—they allegedly divvied up import clearances from the Department of Agriculture and controlled the amount of onions allowed into the country. The result? Less competition and higher prices. They are also accused of swapping sensitive business information, like pricing, suppliers, and distribution details, to make sure they stayed on top of the market.

At the center of the controversy are key individuals like Lilia M. Cruz, vice president of Phil. Vieva Group and chairperson of Golden Shine, and several other high-ranking officials from these companies. These leaders are alleged to have orchestrated this anti-competitive behavior, manipulating the onion market from 2019 to 2023.

The PCC isn’t holding back, stating that this kind of market manipulation is a serious breach of the Philippine Competition Act. They claim that these actions led to distorted supply and inflated prices—something that we, as consumers, definitely felt when buying onions.

This case is a reminder that when companies bend the rules, it’s the everyday Filipino who ends up paying the price—literally. The Enforcement Office is pushing for accountability, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how this unfolds.