PHILIPPINE inflation edged up to 1.8 percent in December, primarily driven by increasing costs for food and non-alcoholic beverages, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday.
While the rise surpassed November’s 1.5 percent, it remained within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) projected range of 1.2 to 2 percent for the month.
This increase resulted in an average inflation rate of 1.7 percent for the entire year of 2025, significantly lower than the 3.2 percent recorded in the previous year and falling below the BSP’s target band of 2 to 4 percent.
The PSA noted that the rising costs of food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed nearly 100 percent of the overall upward pressure on consumer prices during December.
