MANILA, Philippines- Kumpiyansang inihayag ni Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto na ang rate ng pagtaas ng consumer prices ay bababa sa loob ng target range ng gobyerno ngayong taon.
Sa isinagawang Philippine Economic Briefing sa Tokyo, araw ng Biyernes, sinabi ni Recto na inflation ay maaaring ma-stabilize sa 3.4% ngayong taon, nakahanay sa International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) forecast.
“This is well within the government’s target of two to four percent and significantly lower than the global average of 5.9 percent,” ayon kay Recto sa harap ng Japanese investors.
Inaasahang ang 3.4% annual inflation rate ay magiging mas mabagal kaysa sa 6.0% na naitala noong nakaraang taon o mas mabagal ang bilis simula ng 2.4% na nakita noong 2020.
Ang inflation ay may average na 3.5% sa unang limang buwan ng taon.
“As inflation eases, we anticipate a further acceleration in our already robust domestic demand, with household consumption accounting for about 75 percent of our economy,” ayon sa Kalihim.
Gayunman, nang magsimula ang taon, nakitaan ang inflation ng ‘consistent uptrend,’ tumaas mula 2.8% noong Enero na naging 3.4% noong Pebrero, 3.7% noong Marso, 3.8% noong Abril at 3.9% noong Mayo.
Ang pigura noong Mayo ang pinakamataas sa loob ng anim na buwan mula nang umabot ang inflation rate sa 4.1% noong Nobyembre 2023.
“The main reason for the accelerated inflation rate in May compared to April was the faster rise in the prices of Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels, which increased by 0.9% from 0.4%,” ayon sa ulat.
Base sa Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), ang pabahay, tubig, elektrisidad, gas at iba pang fuel ang itinuturo para sa 56.8% share ng overall inflation rate increase sa bansa.
“Specifically, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices increased to 9 percent from 8.3 percent month-on-month, while electricity prices decreased to -8.5 percent from -11 percent in April,” batay pa rin sa ulat.
“The government will continue to implement lasting policy reforms to ensure we address the drivers of food and non-food inflation sustainably. We want to maintain a macroeconomic environment conducive to investment and high-quality job creation — an environment that would allow us to hit the Marcos Administration’s development targets by 2028,” ang tinuran ni National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
“To help manage food inflation, promote policy stability and investment planning, and enhance food security, the NEDA Board has agreed to reduce the rice duty rate to 15 percent from 35 percent for both in-quota and out-quota imports until 2028,” dagdag na pahayag nito.
Samantala, inaprubahan naman ng NEDA Board, sa pangunguna ni Pangulong Marcos bilang chairman, ang ekstensyon hanggang 2028 ng reduced tariff rates sa mais, baboy at mechanically deboned meat sa ilalim ng Executive Order No. 50, s. 2023.
“The NEDA Board approved the new Comprehensive Tariff Program for 2024-2028, a strategic move to ensure access and affordability to essential commodities while balancing the interests of consumers, local producers, and the economy. At the same time, we recognize the need to help our farmers by modernizing our agricultural sector,” ayon pa rin kay Balisacan. Kris Jose
