MANILA, Philippines – Temporaryo lamang ang nararanasang pagbaba ng halaga ng piso sa palitan nito kontra dolyar.
“This is only temporary. Once things clear up, it will be the fundamentals that will determine the exchange rate,” pahayag ni BSP Senior Assistant Governor Iluminada Sicat kasabay ng Philippine Economic Briefing.
“We also look at what’s happening around the area. Are we the only ones depreciating or not?” aniya.
Habang walang tinatarget na specific exchange rate level ang Pilipinas, hinahayaan lamang nitong “the market determine the level of the exchange rate,” sinabi pa ni Sicat.
“If we let the market stress left unattended, this would affect inflation expectation and that is something we are avoiding,” ayon pa sa BSP official.
Ang desisyon ng mga central bank “should be data dependent and driven by domestic considerations,” ayon naman kay Ragnar Gudmundsson, resident representative ng Pilipinas sa International Monetary Fund.
“Foreign exchange flexibility should be taken as a first priority,” ayon pa kay Gudmundsson.
“It is the combination of foreign exchange flexibility with a credible inflation targeting regime that really matters to anchor investors,” pagpapatuloy niya.
“We have to hold the line on that front… with a continued commitment to price stability,” dagdag pa nito.
Ayon naman sa analysis ng IMG, ang trend sa Pilipinas ngayon ay “encouraging” kasabay ng “upside risks stem from geopolitical tensions… and also domestically on some demands for higher wages.”
“What is most important for the Philippines is really to address volatility caused by the Fed’s shifting stance,” ani Gudmundsson.
Kabilang sa mga posibleng solusyon ay ang “mix of monetary and non-monetary measures” kabilang ang pag-import ng mas murang food items upang mapababa ang epekto ng presyo ng mga pagkain. RNT/JGC
