Panic buying amid war: Oil shock drives sari-sari stockpiling surge—Packworks

 

By Manila Bulletin Newsroom

Published Apr 23, 2026 10:53 am

Sari-sari stores recorded a 90-percent surge in sales in March as rising global oil prices triggered widespread stockpiling among micro-retailers and households, according to homegrown tech startup Packworks.

In a statement on Thursday, April 23, Packworks said that based on over one million transactions via its Sari.PH Pro app, gross merchandise value (GMV) across its network of 300,000 stores reached ₱3.73 billion in March, up from ₱1.97 billion in February.

The sharpest spike occurred on March 21, when GMV surged by 265 percent following announcements of double-digit fuel price hikes last March 17, prompting store owners to preemptively stock up ahead of expected increases in logistics and retail costs.  Packworks quoted a sari-sari store owner from Uson town in Masbate province as saying: “Nag-stock up kami dahil natatakot kaming maubusan ng paninda at magkaroon ng delay sa delivery mula sa mga supplier.”  

Packworks noted that in some areas, delivery lead times have stretched to three weeks, pushing retailers to shift toward bulk purchasing of fast-moving goods.

Average basket sizes rose significantly, expanding from ₱337 to ₱1,097 in February to ₱597 to ₱1,560 in March, while transaction volumes increased by only 17 percent, indicating fewer but larger purchases per visit.

“With growing uncertainty and rising oil and commodity prices, our data suggests that sari-sari store owners are proactively adjusting their purchasing strategies. Larger basket sizes and increased inventory levels indicate a shift toward preparedness for potential supply disruptions and rising costs,” said Packworks chief data officer Andoy Montiel.  

Regionally, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) posted the highest increase in basket size at 101.7 percent (₱773 to ₱1,560), followed by National Capital Region (NCR) at 85 percent (₱396 to ₱733), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at 80.2 percent (₱495 to ₱892).

Top-selling categories included cigarettes, detergent, gin, powdered coffee, and chips and dips. Cigarettes led with an increase of around ₱234 million, followed by detergent at ₱116 million, gin at ₱66 million, powdered coffee at about ₱55 million, and chips and dips at ₱45 million. Other essentials such as soda, biscuits, powdered milk, and canned goods also posted gains.

“As the backbone of local communities, sari-sari stores continue to demonstrate resilience in times of disruption. However, they remain highly vulnerable to price fluctuations and logistical challenges, highlighting the need for continued support,” said Packworks chief platform officer Hubert Yap.

Joey Albert at 45: A legacy of purpose, music, and meaning

 

By Neil Ramos

At A Glance

• Joey Albert marks 45 years in music with her "FORTYfied" concert, reflecting on a career built through discipline, collaboration, and enduring contributions to OPM, as she continues to connect with audiences across generations.

There are artists who live off memory and then there is Joey Albert: still working, still searching, still finding ways to matter.

Forty-five years into a career that has helped shape the sound of OPM, Albert returns to the stage not to revisit the past, but to continue a conversation she has never really stopped having with her audience.

Her upcoming concert, “FORTYfied: Joey Albert 45,” is, on paper, a milestone event. In essence, however, it is way more than that. It is more a statement of intent.  

Her longevity is no accident.

It was forged long before the hits, in the discipline of the band circuit, where success was earned and consistency demanded. “I learned the ropes through my work with a band. It was not easy, hard work talaga,” she said.

That period, she recalls, proved formative beyond music. “Doon ko natutunan ang kahalagahan ng pakikisama, to listen… and respect. You learn to respect those who came before you. You learn to respect different perspectives.”

The lessons endured. Even at her most expressive, Albert’s performances carry restraint; even at their most expansive, they retain a sense of shared musical space.  

That instinct informed the collaborations that defined her catalog. “Points of View,” with Pops Fernandez, captured the emotional interplay of duet storytelling. “I Remember the Boy,” written by Jose Mari Chan, balanced nostalgia with control. Her work with Louie Ocampo—“Without You,” “Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin,” “You Threw It All Away,” and “It’s Over Now,” underscored her strength as an interpreter attuned to nuance rather than excess.

“Because of my background singing in groups, it was easy for me to collaborate with people. And we established a strong bond through our work,” she said.

That thread continues into the present.

The concert brings together longtime collaborators including Raymond Lauchengco, Janet Basco, Iwi Laurel, Chad Borja, Janice de Belen, Judith Banal, and Fernandez, an assembly that goes beyond nostalgia, more continuity.

Albert’s relevance, particularly among younger listeners discovering her through streaming platforms, rests on a refusal to treat reinvention as a device. When her songs have found new life in film, or when she has revisited material across generations, it has been with deliberation rather than calculation. For her, endurance lies in understanding why a song lasts.

Offstage, she leads a quieter life away from the industry’s machinery. Yet the music persists, not out of obligation, but of purpose.   

That purpose took on new form during the pandemic, when she turned to digital platforms to sustain connection. “Joey’s Jams,” a series of informal online performances, evolved into “Dear Joey,” where letters from viewers were answered through song rather than commentary.

In a time marked by distance, the format offered a sense of immediacy and care.

“Well, I do what I do mainly to touch people, to continue making a difference in their lives, to inspire,” she said. “I will keep on doing what I can for as long as I can.”

Having faced illness more than once, Albert speaks of survival without sentimentality, framing it instead as perspective. “You begin to make choices based on the legacy you want to leave behind. You don’t sweat the small stuff. You choose what you have energy for.”

"I wanted to be remembered as someone who made people smile, someone who made people happy."

Onstage, then, the concert marks more than a passage of time. It affirms a quieter proposition: that music, carried with sincerity, retains its capacity to meet listeners where they are.

“FORTYfied: Joey Albert 45” will be held on April 25, 8 PM, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. Produced by DSL Events & Production House, the concert will benefit the Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross, founded by Joey’s late mother.  

Always with God as times change

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

IT’S unavoidable. We should not be surprised by it. In fact, we should expect it. But let’s see to it that we do not get lost. We should still be clear about where we came from, what the meaning and purpose of life are, etc. We should never miss these existential and ultimate considerations even as we go along the changing fashions, trends and cultures of our times.

That way we can still distinguish between what is good and evil, what has absolute and relative value, what is safe and dangerous among the different elements we have to face. The important thing is that we are clear about where we are going, how we are managing to get to our real destination amid these varying conditions that can be very confusing and deceptive.

I must confess that I belong to the generation of the Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole songs, and a sprinkling of classical music of Chopin and Mozart. And through the years, I have been enjoying the different kinds of songs that became popular—from the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Rey Valera, Adele, etc. 

Nowadays, I am listening to the likes of Billie Eilish and those Pinoy comedians who sing Pilipino songs (Tagalog, Bisaya, etc.) in Korean tunes. They provide innovations that elicit mixed reactions, and are often met with both admiration and disappointment, both applauded and criticized.

Well, that’s a fact of life. We just have to learn how to accept it and learn to deal with it properly. But we need to recognize that navigating the changing currents of life requires anchoring our souls to something firm and steady. It’s now becoming clearer that we need strong core values—our foundation—to keep us stable when life becomes confusing. In short, we need to have some kind of a ‘safe harbor’ mindset.

We have to be wary of the danger St. Paul once warned us about when he said that we should be “no longer like children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and their cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” (Eph 4,4)

In other words, we should not be naïve who would just mindlessly go along where today’s current fashion and trends would bring us. Rather, we should always be circumspect, acting with careful consideration of the different elements involved in a certain matter. Yes, we have to stay guarded and vigilant as well as cultivate a practical wisdom that applies smart and realistic thinking in our daily life.

In all this, what is crucial is, of course, to stick with God always. Only with him can we be properly vigilant. It’s a vigilance that is an effect of keeping our love for God and others burn more and more. Without this impulse, we will surely be easy prey to the confusing, alluring and deceptive things of our times. This, of course, will always involve demanding on ourselves more and more.

We just have to be always vigilant. That is why the Bible is full of reminders about this need. “Be watchful,” St. Paul says, for example, “stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Cor 16,13) St. Paul practically has given us a good program of how it is to be watchful always.

Let’s learn the appropriate skills and art of being watchful both in good times and bad times and also in ordinary times when things appear to be neutral yet. Let’s sharpen our skill in examining our conscience, in reading the signs of the times, in assessing the different circumstances of the day, etc.

Old Swiss Inn closes Makati chapter after 32 years, shifts focus to Paco and beyond

 

A longtime dining fixture winds down its Makati run while continuing operations and exploring new locations

By Feliciano Rodriguez III

The interiors of Old Swiss Inn in Makati (Photo from Old Swiss Inn Restaurant | Facebook)

Old Swiss Inn will close its Makati branch on July 1 after 32 years, according to a post published on its official Facebook page on April 20.

The restaurant has been part of the city’s dining landscape for decades, known for its European comfort food and its steady, unchanged presence amid a constantly shifting food scene.

I’ll miss the signature fresh corned beef—a staple that defined many meals there—and the Makati branch’s intimate, old-school interiors. The closure, however, does not signal an exit for the brand.

Old Swiss Inn continues to operate its Paco branch, which carries the same menu and character, now in a refreshed space. The restaurant is also pushing further into off-site dining, with party platters, takeout options, and its “Dinner Drop” delivery service.

A deli line under Swiss Inn Deli remains available, offering all-natural products for home consumption, while catering services continue for private events and gatherings.

To mark the final months of the Makati branch, the restaurant is introducing a “Signature Moments Card” from May 1 to July 1, giving diners a last opportunity to return, with added rewards and in-store promotions tied to the program.

The group is also exploring new locations, pointing to plans for expansion even as it closes one of its longest-running sites.

Signature Fresh Corned Beef (Photo from Old Swiss Inn Restaurant | Facebook)

Airfares to soar as fuel surcharge doubled in mid-April

 

BY LOGAN KAL-EL M. ZAPANTA

APRIL 23, 2026

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Travelers flying within and out of the Philippines are facing significantly higher airfares for the rest of April after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) approved a Level 19 fuel surcharge, pushing additional charges to as much as P15,397 per ticket.

This new rate brings jet fuel surcharges close to the maximum Level 20 and marks a sharp increase from Level 8 imposed from April 1 to April 15.

Before the Middle East conflict broke out, Level 4 surcharge had applied.

Under Level 19, fuel surcharges for domestic flights now range from P627 to P1,834, up from P253 to P787 earlier in April—equivalent to increases of 147.83 percent and 133.04 percent, respectively.

For international flights, the surcharge rises to at least P2,070.77 and as much as P15,397.15, from P835.05 to P6,208.98 previously, representing a 147.98-percent increase.

CAB issued the advisory on Wednesday, although the new rates had taken effect for tickets issued starting April 16.

“This interim measure shall be in effect until the current situation stabilizes, or as may be revised or revoked accordingly,” it said.

These new rates will be applied at a conversion rate of P59.95 per US dollar.

Up 436% from prewar levels

This adjustment comes as global jet fuel prices remain high, reaching $184.63 per barrel as of April 17, from $99.40 per barrel prior to the Iran conflict, based on data from the International Air Transport Association.

Compared with prewar levels, Philippine jet fuel surcharges have now increased by 436 percent.

In March, carriers were unable to immediately reflect the price surge, as surcharges had already been set at Level 4 before hostilities escalated. At that level, domestic charges ranged from P117 to P342, while international surcharges were between P385.70 and P2,867.82.

Level 20 remains the highest allowable tier under CAB rules, with domestic surcharges ranging from P661 to P1,993 and international charges from P2,183.11 to P16,232.44.

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Under CAB Resolution No. 25, Series of 2022, fuel surcharges are optional and charged on top of the base airfare. These may be removed if the one-month average price of jet fuel falls below P21 per liter.

In a statement, AirAsia Philippines said the increase reflects mounting cost pressures on carriers amid the ongoing conflict.

“With the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, our operational cost base has significantly exceeded initial forecasts—global jet fuel prices have surged to more than double 2025 levels,” the airline said.