00:00Higher food costs and increased consumer spending during the holidays are to blame for the slight uptick in the overall inflation or the insensual products for the month that just passed.
00:10Still, the upshoot in overall inflation is well within government's projected range and has minute, if no adverse effects on the economy, as our Denise Osorio reports.
00:21Price increase easing for rice is a good thing.
00:25The Philippine Statistics Authority highlighted today in its assessment of the country's inflation rate for 2025.
00:31According to national statistician Claire Dennis Mapa, while inflation picked up in December 2025, overall inflation for the full year remained lower than that of the previous year.
00:42He added that the rise in inflation in December was largely driven by higher food prices alongside increased consumer spending during the Christmas and New Year period.
00:51Yung trigger is the increase in the food basket. Yun yung isa. Ito yung mga usual consumption na talagang ginagamit noong month of December as part of the holiday activities.
01:07And yun nga, siguro nagkaroon din ng, as I mentioned kanina, nagkaroon din siguro ng tight supply, particularly sa vegetables.
01:15Mapa added that most vegetable-producing areas are located outside the national capital region and were affected by typhoons in November 2025, particularly in the Biko region and the Visayas.
01:27Onion prices rose by 79 percent, aubergine by 29.4 percent, okra by 28 percent, and broad beans by 41 percent.
01:36Alongside the increase in certain food items, the PSA stressed on the decline of rice prices playing a significant role in preventing a faster inflation rate.
01:45Mapa stressed, rice inflation remained negative throughout 2025, resulting in lower actual prices per kilo, particularly in areas outside the national capital region.
01:56Yung price na yung 2025 is very close, almost the same, doon sa average price noong 2023.
02:02Rice inflation peaked in 2024, when the average price of regular milled rice reached 50 pesos and 40 centavos.
02:10In 2025, the average price for the full year stood at 42 pesos and 95 centavos, broadly in line with the lower price levels seen in 2023 at 42 pesos and 80 centavos.
02:22For Nanay Berna, who runs a carinderia, carefully managing the price of rice sold is essential to ensure that costs are covered.
02:29She said that while prices declined, their costing is assessed on a monthly basis.
02:34Ina-adjust namin kung bumababa, hindi kami pwedeng bababa din kasi bigla din tataas.
02:40Kaya ina-adjust namin yung presyo ng bigas na binibili namin, tapos ina-adjust din namin yung takal ng kanin.
02:46Although expensive, vegetables remain more popular than other dishes and how portion control is used to avoid losses.
02:52PSA data show headline inflation rose to 1.8 percent in December 2025, up from 1.5 percent in November, but remained well below the 2.9 percent recorded in December 2024.
03:11Average inflation for the full year of 2025 was placed at 1.7 percent, among the lowest levels seen in recent years.
03:18Food and non-alcoholic beverages were the largest contributors to inflation, recording a rate of 1.4 percent, with vegetables in particular posting double-digit price increases.
03:29This was followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, as well as restaurants and accommodation services, which also contributed to inflationary pressures in December.
03:40The PSA added it continues to closely monitor electricity charges, which fluctuate depending on demand, weather conditions, and movements in market prices, especially with the approach of the summer months.
03:53Denise Osorio for the National Television Network for a new and better Philippines.
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