Inflation in the Philippines has a familiar villain. Every few years, prices surge, household budgets snap, and policymakers reach for the same lever that raises interest rates. But new research suggests they may be shadowboxing the wrong enemy.
Headline inflation accelerated to 1.8 percent in December 2025, its fastest pace since March last year, as higher food prices and quicker increases in clothing and footwear pushed overall prices up, government data showed. The latest figure marked a rebound from November’s slower pace but remained well below December 2024’s 2.9 percent, highlighting easing price pressures over the year.
U.S. stocks jumped Thursday after a long-delayed inflation report delivered a clear upside surprise, snapping Wall Street out of a four-session slide and reigniting hopes for interest-rate cuts.
Inflation cooled to 1.5 percent in November, its slowest pace in three months, as rice and corn prices stayed down and cost pressures across several key consumer items eased, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported Friday.
The Philippines will use its ASEAN chairmanship to push for stronger regional safeguards against energy supply disruptions and faster cross-border power connectivity as Southeast Asian energy ministers meet in Manila this week.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that around 300,000 farmers, fisherfolk, and agricultural haulers will receive ₱3 billion in fuel subsidies starting this month, aiding the sector amid El Niño impacts and persistently high fuel costs.
Therma Visayas told lawmakers that it sources coal from Indonesia and uses the Indonesian Coal Index in its power supply agreements, as a House inquiry into electricity reliability in the Visayas turned attention to both supply security and pricing transparency.
The Department of Agriculture is bolstering full-scale preparations for an intense El Niño, applying hard-won experience to safeguard farm output, secure food supplies, and protect farmers and fisherfolk from harm.