Headline inflation further slowed to 1.3 percent in May this year from 1.4 percent in April, the lowest recorded since the 1.2 percent in November 2019, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Thursday.

In a briefing, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said this brought the year-to-date average inflation to 1.9 percent which is at the lower end of the government's 2 to 4 percent target range.

Mapa said the downtrend was primarily brought about by the slower increase in the index of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 2.3 percent from 2.9 percent in April.

Restaurant and accommodation services also recorded a slower inflation of 2 percent from 2.3 percent in April.

Mapa said the faster annual decline was likewise recorded in the transport index, at 2.4 percent in May from 2.1 percent in the previous month.

Food inflation meanwhile remained at 0.7 percent.

Mapa, however, said rice inflation was at -12.8 percent from -10.9 percent in April.

According to Mapa, the rollout of the P20 per kilogram (kg) rice program in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the “Benteng Bigas Meron Na" helped lower rice prices.

In May, the average price of regular milled rice declined to P43.19 per kg from P51.11 in May 2024.

The average price of well-milled rice likewise fell to P49.45 per kg from P56.06 per kg while special rice also declined to P59.80 from last year's P64.41 per kg.

The bottom 30 percent income households experienced zero percent inflation in May 2025, a sharp decline from 5.3 percent in the same month last year.

The National Capital Region also posted a slower inflation rate of 1.7 percent in May, down from 2.4 percent the previous month while other regions maintained a low average inflation rate of 1.2 percent.

PNA PHOTO