Manila: Slower upticks in the food and beverages index, which accounts for a significant share in the domestic consumer price index (CPI), resulted in an unchanged inflation rate for October 2025 at 1.7 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, last month’s inflation rate was slower than the previous year’s 2.3 percent, bringing the 10-month average to 1.7 percent, which is below the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) target band of 2 percent to 4 percent. National Statistician Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa noted that October’s inflation rate was influenced by housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, which rose to 2.7 percent from the previous month’s 2.1 percent. Restaurants and accommodation services increased by 2.4 percent, while the food and non-alcoholic beverages index posted an annual uptick of 0.5 percent.
Core inflation, which excludes select food and energy items, slowed to 2.5 percent in October from the previous month’s 2.6 percent but was higher than the 2.4 percent recorded in the previous year. Mapa expressed optimism about the impact of the latest inflation results on domestic output, suggesting it might boost spending in the future.
He highlighted that price reductions for items like rice are beneficial for the inflation rate but warned of potential risks from rising vegetable prices due to weather disturbances and fluctuating pump prices. ‘These are the items we are monitoring since these, in a way, would provide upward pressure in our inflation moving forward,’ he said in a mix of Filipino and English.
In a related development, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, in a press release, pointed out the slower food inflation last month at 0.3 percent from the previous month’s 0.8 percent. He attributed this partly to government measures aimed at managing supply conditions and addressing price pressures.
These measures include boosting rice supply in recent months and the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) decision to allow the importation of various vegetables to counteract the impact of weather disturbances on local supply. ‘The steady headline inflation rate shows that our coordinated interventions are helping to maintain adequate supplies and keeping essential goods affordable,’ Balisacan stated. ‘We remain vigilant in managing risks from weather disturbances, global market volatility, and other domestic factors that may affect prices in the coming months.’
Balisacan also emphasized the benefits of Executive Order (EO) 100, which sets the floor price for palay (unhusked rice) to ensure fair returns to producers, and EO 101, which directs government agencies to fully implement the Sagip Saka Act. This act institutionalizes the Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Program.
‘DEPDev welcomes the issuance of Executive Orders No. 100 and 101 as crucial interventions for food security. These policies help ensure fair returns for our farmers and fisherfolk, thus encouraging domestic production. In addition, other support services are being provided to improve the efficiency of post-production processing and distribution systems while we provide other measures to stabilize food prices and protect consumers,’ Balisacan added.
