Onions as ‘pasalubong’ becoming reality

Filipino migrant workers are reportedly bringing home much cheaper red onions — often of the Indian variety — in response to the soaring local price of commodity which falls between P350 to P550 as per Department of Agriculture data.

In various social media posts, overseas Filipino workers have been sharing how they include bags of red onions into their luggage.

Renzy Biore, a mobile phone technician by profession, has been producing a couple of vlogs on the daily living of migrant workers like him in Dubai, which also includes dealing with low prices of basic commodities.

In one of his vlogs released on 30 December, he pointed out that red onions are actually significantly cheaper in the country.

“Onions, they’re worth 2.95 Dirhams or almost P45 per kilo, while onions in the Philippines cost about P600,” he said in his vlog.

In an interview with Daily Tribune, Biore said that aside from being cheap, red onions and other onion varieties in Dubai are much appealing due to its large sizes, smooth textures and fragrant aroma, which could be appealing to OFWs whose families back home are grappling with the high costs but relatively low quality red onions in local markets.

“Red onions here have been imported to Egypt and India, and also differ according to brand and variants. It’s much bigger and brings more flavor to the food,” Biore said.

“If you compare the prices of onions here as compared to the Philippines, there’s a huge difference. You can’t even buy many onions there nowadays,” he added.

Given the quality of imported red onions, OFWs like administrative assistant April Manuel can’t resist bringing home these more unique yet cheaper goods. In fact, she has also brought home other spices, fruits and vegetables, including lemons, chili and garlic during her 15-year stint as an OFW.

During her most recent arrival in the country, she brought five kilos of red onions home, some of which she shared with relatives and closest neighbors.

“Quality-wise, red onions are smooth. You’ll see by its appearance and texture that you’ll know that it will have a long shelf-life. Last time, I was here in the Philippines for two weeks and their appearance is still good-looking,” Manuel said.