The Marcos administration will keep anti-inflation measures in place despite easing price pressures, signaling that it sees the battle against rising living costs as far from over amid persistent risks from volatile global oil markets.
Speaking at a Palace briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the recent slowdown in inflation reflects the government’s sustained interventions but cautioned that external shocks, particularly higher global oil prices, could quickly reverse those gains.
The decision to maintain subsidies and food security programs underscores the administration’s strategy of preventing inflation from resurging rather than merely reacting after prices spike.
Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered agencies to sustain programs that cushion vulnerable sectors from higher living costs. These include fuel subsidies for public utility vehicle operators, farmers and fisherfolk, alongside continued support for agricultural production through seed distribution, fertilizer assistance and financing for small farmers.
The government will also continue operating KADIWA stores, which sell rice, vegetables, fish and other essential goods at below-market prices. Rice remains available at P20 per kilogram in participating outlets, while millions of low-income households continue receiving 10 kilograms of rice every two months under the administration’s food assistance program.
Castro said the measures are helping temper the impact of inflation on households while reinforcing broader efforts to stabilize prices. She added that additional assistance for sectors still grappling with economic pressures is being prepared, with details to be announced by President Marcos at the appropriate time.
With inflation moderating but global uncertainties still looming, the administration is opting to keep its safety nets firmly in place rather than risk surrendering hard-won gains against rising prices.
