Bakit ang laki ng price premium ng PH electronics compared to other countries?

For context, I live in Japan (around the Tokyo metro area) and work for a large non-Japanese company here, kaso in late April this year, gagamitin ko na PTO and will spend some time dyan sa Pinas. While there, I plan to upgrade from my iPhone 12 and buy the iPhone 16e since it’s almost everything I want (hindi ko maintindihan si Apple kung bakit hindi included ang MagSafe while included naman ang Qi2 wireless charging). Anyway, a major reason on why gusto ko bumili ng phone sa 🇵🇭 is due to the in-built shutter sound na maingay talaga at hindi pwede patayin in Japanese phones, regardless kung kinuha mo siya unlocked or sa carrier. Hindi pwede patayin ang camera shutter sound in JP phones since dati, madaming loko kumukuha ng upskirt shots of women. Ever since those cases, the loud shutter sound stayed for good.

While understand ko na trivial need ang camera shutter sound na pwede patayin, I go coffee shop hopping and/or exhibits in my free time and minsan, I do like taking pictures during those occasions. Kaso, since mostly serene ang mga places napinupuntahan ko, I do find it embarrassing na yung camera shutter sound ng phone napakaingay. This lead me to just holding outa while more and to buy the phone later there in PH.

Still, when I went to the Apple PH website, nashock ako sa price of 40,000 PHP ng 16e with 128GB. Using BSP exchange rates as of this post, yung JP 128GB iPhone 16e is 38,000 PHP after conversion from the yen, so merong 2K premium yung PH equivalent niya. If compared sa States, $600 converts to 35,000 PHP - and this is Apple most likely taking into account of tariffs na ipapasa nila to US customers. Even then, halos 5K yung patong ng PH iPhone 16e compared sa US model.

When I checked sa Samsung side, mas malala 😭. Saan galing yung 53,000 PHP na regular price o 48,000 PHP sale price for the S24 FE? Sa dartboard ba? Meron bang free stuff na bundled with it at hindi ginagawa sa US or Japan? Kahit naka-sale na yung S24 FE for 48,000 PHP, the U.S. equivalent is $650 (38,000 PHP) while the JP model is ¥80,000 (31,000 PHP).

Is there some law or business reason kung bakit ang laki ng patong for PH-bound phones (or electronics) in general?