National rice stocks at the start of May were estimated at 2.37 million metric tons, marking a 14 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This growth was primarily driven by the aggressive palay procurement efforts of the National Food Authority (NFA).
Rice prices continued to ease in early May, indicating a potential further slowdown in inflation after headline inflation decelerated in April to its slowest pace since November 2019.
Inflation in the Philippines could ease further in April, following a drop to 1.8 percent in March—the slowest pace since May 2020—if rice prices continue to decline in the latter half of the month.
The country's rice stocks inventory was estimated at 1.61 million metric tons at the start of March, an 18 percent increase from the 1.37 million metric tons recorded in the same period last year.
Philippine inflation decelerated to 1.8 percent in March, its slowest pace since the 1.6 percent registered in May 2020 when the economic activities was challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns. This decline, down from 2.1 percent in February, was largely driven by lower food prices, particularly rice, which saw a significant annual decrease.
The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is taking more of its legal processes online, a move that could shorten procedural delays in competition investigations and merger reviews as cases become more complex and time-sensitive.
As more businesses adopt artificial intelligence, the focus is shifting from whether we use it to what it actually delivers. Globe has clear answers: as of August 2026, our AI and machine learning efforts have created ₱1.2 billion in measurable benefits.
The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has officially kicked off its competitive bidding process to secure 900 megawatts of baseload power, the consistent, round-the-clock supply that forms the backbone of the electricity system.