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 yesterday 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,” 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 P4.90, or from P51.11 per kilo to P46.09 per kilo.
Well milled rice also declined in the same period by P4.19 per kilo, or from P56.44 per kilo to P52.25 per kilo, and by P2.60 per kilo for special rice, or from P64.75 per kilo to P62.15 per kilo, 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.
This sector contributed 27 percent to the downtrend in inflation in the previous month due to lower prices of gasoline and diesel, as well as slower pace in fare increase in passenger road transport.
Restaurants and accommodation services, with an inflation of 2.3 percent, shared 16 percent to the downtrend of inflation last month. (PNA)
