MANILA — Rising food prices driven by holiday demand and lingering supply disruptions pushed inflation higher in December, prompting Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. to promise more aggressive measures from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to protect consumers and stabilize markets.

“While rice prices continue to deflate, higher prices driven by holiday demand, weather damage, and supply bottlenecks lifted December inflation. This means the DA must move faster—tightening market monitoring, accelerating production, swiftly deploying available stocks, and expanding safety-net support like the P20 rice program to blunt price spikes,” Tiu Laurel said.

Food inflation rose to 1.2 percent in December 2025, reversing a 0.3 percent decline in November but still below the 3.5 percent rate a year earlier. Higher food prices ended a six-month deflation streak for the bottom 30 percent income households, whose inflation climbed to 1.1 percent, raising concerns over near-term cost pressures for vulnerable consumers.

The price rebound was driven by a slower drop in rice prices—12.3 percent in December versus a 15.4 percent decline in November—and sharply higher prices for vegetables, tubers, plantains, and related produce, which jumped to 11.6 percent from 4.0 percent. Corn prices also reversed course, rising 7.3 percent after falling the previous month. Other staples, including flour, bakery products, pasta, fish, fruits, and ready-to-eat foods, also saw faster price increases during the holiday season.

Partly offsetting these gains were softer inflation in meat, dairy products, eggs, and oils and fats, while sugar and confectionery recorded a deeper annual decline. Food accounted for nearly a quarter of December’s headline inflation, contributing 0.4 percentage point.

To ease the burden on families and help moderate food inflation, the DA is expanding its “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” P20-per-kilo rice program, aiming to reach up to 15 million households—or roughly 60 million Filipinos—by the end of 2026. The nationwide rollout is paired with intensified supply monitoring and production support to address seasonal demand surges and weather-related bottlenecks.

Tiu Laurel said the enhanced efforts reflect a commitment to stabilize food markets, protect household budgets, and ensure sustained affordability of key staples across the archipelago.