JULIA Montes shared her thoughts on the Philippine economy, noting how the income of most Filipinos has remained stagnant despite the continuous rise in the prices of basic goods.
“Ang napapansin ko kasi, tumataas ang gastusin, ang bilihin, lahat. Pero ang sweldo, hindi tumataas. So sana, kung may tumataas man sa Pilipinas, tumataas din sana ‘yung salary kasi hindi nababalanse,” Julia pointed out in an interview with DJ Chacha in an episode of the latter’s YouTube segment From The Heart.
The actress went on: “Ang layo nung bigas sa sweldo na hindi tumataas, pero taas ‘to nang taas (referring to the price of rice), so parang unfair din para sa mamamayan.”
She also pointed out how transportation costs have skyrocketed, affecting both those who own private vehicles and those who rely on public transport.
“Plus pamasahe pa lang natin. Ngayon ang dami nating mode of transportation. Ako I am very lucky na umabot na tayo sa puntong nagkaroon na ng sasakyan pero gas, binawian ka naman sa gas. Meron ka ngang sasakyan for transpo pero ‘yung gas mo naman magkano,” she said.
She added: “‘Yung mga tao namang walang sasakyan magkano rin ‘yung fare nila eh every day magkano lang naman [sweldo nila], kakain pa sila. Magkano na lang, so ano ‘yung iiuuwi nila sa pamilya nila?”
Beyond her acting career, Julia is now an entrepreneur. In April this year, through a video uploaded by Coco Martin – CCM Film Productions on YouTube – she revealed that she started her food business, Take Out, in mid-2024.
She shared that opening a food business had always been a dream for her family, especially her grandmother.
“Actually, sa buong family talaga kasi laging topic namin what if mag-business na especially si lola. Kilala si lola Tindeng na mahilig din magluto so pangarap ng buong family na magkaroon ng negosyo na connected sa food and then napag-usapan nga na what if,” she relayed.
They decided to start with a commissary first, providing food orders before jumping into the restaurant business.
“Siyempre natatakot din kami mag-start ng isang malaking restaurant so nag-start muna kami sa commissary muna tapos magca-cater kami sa food carts, mga events, food delivery. So one at a time, baby steps muna,” she stated. (ABS-CBN News)
