Tag: commodities

Philippines inflation rate falls below 1% in July 2025

Philippines inflation rate falls below 1% in July 2025

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After the slight rise recorded in June 2025, the inflation rate of the Philippines fell below 1% this past July, according to news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news article of the PNA. Some parts in boldface…

The country’s inflation or the rate of increase in the prices of goods and services reversed its path in July 2025 after decelerating to 0.9 from month-ago’s 1.4 percent, driven primarily by the slower upticks in electricity rates and prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The latest inflation figure, the lowest since October 2019’s 0.6 percent, brought the average in the first seven months this year to 1.7 percent, still below the government’s 2 to 4 percent target.

National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa, in a briefing Tuesday, said food and non-alcoholic beverages also contributed to the lower inflation rate last July due to lower price increases of several items like rice, vegetables, tubers and cooking bananas; and fuel prices.

He said a continued drop in rice prices is seen to result in slower uptick for this particular item for the rest of the year, despite the proposal to stop rice importation and increase tariff to protect local farmers.

The government increased rice importation and lowered rice tariff from 35 percent to 15 percent for a period, starting in the second half of 2024 until 2028 to address rice price hikes.

This resulted in lower rice inflation, from 14.7 percent in August 2024 to 0.8 percent in December last year. Mapa forecast rice inflation to remain in negative territory for the next four months.

“The expectation is negative average rice inflation for the whole year,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.

In terms of the impact of recent typhoons, Mapa said prices of vegetables have inched up in the second half of July, which is normal during typhoon season.

While inflation is seen to remain low, he pointed out that there are threats such as the higher prices of pork products, due to the impact of African swine fever; higher demand for chicken meat, as an alternative to pork, and rising prices of fish.

Deflation in low-income households – With the government is offering cheaper rice to the vulnerable sector, inflation rate for the bottom 30 percent income group as of July slipped to -0.8 percent from the year-ago’s 5.8 percent, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) noted.

Aside from rice, other contributors to the lower inflation rate for the bottom 30 percent income group are slower upticks in the prices of corn and vegetables and tubers, it said.

“The sustained drop in rice prices and the easing of inflation for low-income households are clear signs that our interventions are working. This not only helps Filipinos preserve the value of their peso but also builds confidence for businesses and consumers to plan ahead,” DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

“While we expect the overall inflation for 2025 to remain favorable and supportive of domestic demand, we remain vigilant against external risks, including global policy shifts and geopolitical tensions,” he said.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think there is a chance that the inflation rate of the Philippines will remain below 1% for the rest of 2025? Do you think the deflation of rice will continue going into 2026?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Philippines inflation rate lands at 1.8% in March 2025

Philippines inflation rate lands at 1.8% in March 2025

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The inflation rate of the Philippines settled at 1.8% for the month of March this year based on the latest details released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), according to the news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). The confirmed inflation rate was the lowest since June 2020.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the report of the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

Inflation rate in March 2025 settled at 1.8 percent, marking a nearly five-year low, mainly due to slower price increase in food and non-alcoholic beverages, particularly lower prices of rice.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa said in a press briefing Friday that last month’s inflation was lower than the rate in February 2025 at 2.1 percent and the 3.7 percent in March 2024. PSA data showed that the inflation last month was the lowest since June 2020.

The PSA attributed the slower pace of price increases in March 2025 to the easing of food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation at 2.2 percent from 2.6 percent a month ago. Mapa said this commodity group shared 50.2 percent to the downtrend in inflation.

In particular, cereals and cereal products recorded a deflation, or decrease in prices, of 5.2 percent last month from a deflation of 3 percent in February 2025.

This commodity group includes rice, which recorded negative inflation for the past three months: -2.3 percent in January, -8.4 percent in February, and -7.7 percent in March.

Mapa said that since the Executive Order 62 took effect in July 2024, which reduced the tariff on imported rice, prices of the staple have substantially declined.

“Kung i-compare natin noong—say, base natin noong July 2024, kung saan nagsimula ‘yong reduction sa tariff, bumaba na rin substantially ‘yong presyo ng bigas per kilo [If we compare it to—(let’s) say, based on July 2024, when the tariff reduction started, the price of rice per kilogram has substantially decreased],” he said.

Citing PSA data, Mapa said comparing the prices from July 2024 to March 2025, average price reduction for regular milled rice was at PHP4.90, or from PHP51.11 per kilo to PHP46.09 per kilo.

Well milled rice also declined in the same period by PHP4.19 per kg., or from PHP56.44 per kg. to PHP52.25 per kg., and by PHP2.60 per kg. for special rice, or from PHP64.75 per kg. to PHP62.15 per kg., the national statistician added.

Aside from food and non-food beverages, inflation in transport group recorded -1.1 percent in March 2025 from -0.2 percent in February 2025.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Were you surprised that the inflation rate of the country settled at less than 2% for the month of March 2025? Do you think inflation will remain stable for the next six months?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Muntinlupa City Mayor visits local market and personally inspects prices of goods

Muntinlupa City Mayor visits local market and personally inspects prices of goods

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Recently in the progressive city of Muntinlupa, Mayor Ruffy Biazon personally visited a market in Barangay Poblacion and examined the prices of goods, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon visited a market on Oct. 9 to check the prices of basic commodities.

Biazon went to a market in Barangay Poblacion to know the prevailing prices of rice, meat, vegetables and other commodities.

He said a common feedback of stall owners inside the market is the competition from sellers outside the market, which has a negative impact on their income.

“Ang common feedback ng mga nagtitinda ay ang kompetensya mula sa mga nagtitinda sa labas—yung mga nasa bangketa at nasa iba pang private properties. Hindi na kasi sila napapasok ng mga mamimili; may advantage kasi yung mga nasa labas (The common feedback from sellers is the competition from sellers outside–those who are located on the sidewalk and private properties. Consumers no longer go inside (the market); those who sell outside have the advantage),” said Biazon during his Facebook live video of his market visit.

The mayor also noted that there are vacant stalls in the market, which could be due to sellers losing out to competitors outside the establishment. Biazon said he will look into the matter of illegal vendors around the market.

“Nagkakaroon kasi ng negative impact sa market mismo. Titingnan natin ang mga umiiral na batas natin kung may magagamit tayo para tugisin ang mga illegal vendor at wala sa tamang pwesto (It has a negative impact to the market directly. We will study the existing laws if we have something to use to go after illegal vendors and those who are not in the proper places),” said Biazon.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, were you able to visit any local market lately? If you did, were the prices of good higher than they were six months ago? Do you wish that more your city government officials would personally visit other local markets? Do you believe that local market vendors are being harmed by vendors outside of the markets?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

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President Marcos says special powers not needed to curb inflation

President Marcos says special powers not needed to curb inflation

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In recent times, inflation has been strong in the Philippines and no less than the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) confirmed this as it made its February 2023 inflation forecast. In relation to the high inflation, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos stressed that special powers are not needed to combat inflation, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

There is no need to ask for special powers to ease inflation, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Wednesday, noting that several interventions are already in place to manage the prices of basic commodities.

Marcos made the remark a day after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that the country’s headline inflation could surpass the 9 percent level in February because of high prices of cooking gas and key food items.

“I do not think that it is necessary to ask for special powers,” he said in a chance interview on the sidelines of an event at the Rizal Park, when asked if he is considering asking Congress to grant him special powers to curb inflation.

“I already have the power to declare an emergency and to control the prices of commodities. So, I don’t think there’s any need for more than that. That is efficient,” he added.

On Tuesday, the BSP said the inflation rate in February may fall within the range of 8.5 to 9.3 percent, citing the upside risks from higher prices of cooking gas and food items such as pork, fish, egg, and sugar.

Despite the BSP’s latest forecast, Marcos remained bullish that consumer prices would go down, saying his administration is exhausting all efforts to boost the supply of agricultural products.

“The other elements of inflation hindi natin masyado ma-control, kaya meron tayong ginagawang ganito para makabawi naman doon sa pagtaas ng presyo (We could not control the other elements of inflation, that’s why we are making a way to address the rise in prices of basic commodities),” he said.

Several lawmakers, including House Speaker Martin Romualdez, have expressed openness to granting Marcos special powers to curtail inflation.

In January, inflation accelerated further to 8.7 percent from 8.1 percent posted in December 2022.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Are you confident that the national authorities have what it takes to ease inflation without granting the President special powers? Do you see the current inflation as a temporary problem or as a longer lasting problem?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco