MANILA — Most basic goods in the Philippines are expected to maintain current prices, with only a small number of manufacturers requesting increases, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced.

Among the 205 items classified as basic goods and prime commodities, 91% will remain unchanged. These include canned sardines in tomato sauce, instant mami noodles, laundry soap, candles, bread, toilet soap, and batteries.

Despite rising costs for raw materials, packaging, logistics, and toll-packing, most manufacturers are holding prices steady after the DTI appealed for cooperation last year.

A total of 37 manufacturers committed to maintaining their products’ prices, including Universal Canning Inc., Maunlad Canning Inc., Uptrade Resource Corp., Chattra Enterprise, Permex Producer & Exporter Corp., Aquatic Food and Manufacturing, Zest-O Corp., Uni-President Corp., Monde Nissin Corp., Philbaking, Unilever Philippines Inc., P&G Philippines Inc., Colgate Palmolive Philippines Inc., and others.

DTI Secretary Cristina Roque assured the public that the agency will closely monitor prices to ensure any changes are fair to both consumers and businesses.

“The DTI stays committed to protecting consumers while recognizing the economic realities faced by manufacturers. Through regular price monitoring and open dialogue with manufacturers, the agency helps ensure that any price adjustments are fair and properly justified,” Roque said.

She added that DTI’s regular reports on price hikes or rollbacks in basic commodities serve as a “timely guide” for consumers and businesses to make informed choices and maintain competitive pricing practices in the private sector.

In October 2025, the DTI implemented measures under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to keep prices of basic necessities and prime commodities steady through year-end, intensifying monitoring during the holiday season. By November 2025, the agency imposed a price freeze following the declaration of a state of national calamity due to Typhoon Tino and other storms.

After the holidays and the price freeze, inflation edged up slightly to 1.8% from 1.5% in November 2025, which may have contributed to the 8% of basic goods that are expected to see price increases in the coming weeks.