The Philippine Statistics Authority reported today, February 5, 2026, that headline inflation stood at 2.0 percent in January 2026, slightly higher than 1.8 percent in December 2025, as non-food inflation rose to 2.5 percent from 2.0 percent during the same period.
Despite the increase of the headline inflation, food inflation slowed to 0.7 percent in January 2026 from 1.2 percent in December 2025.
“We see the easing of food inflation beneficial for Filipino households, particularly for lower-income families where food accounts for a larger share of expenditures,” said DEPDev Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon, in her capacity as the agency’s Officer in Charge while Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan is on official business abroad.
The government is maintaining its 2 to 4 percent inflation targets for 2026 and 2027, while remaining vigilant against emerging upside risks.
“We will continue building on this progress by sustaining efforts to support Filipino families’ purchasing power, alongside other reforms that strengthen resilience and promote long- term growth,” she added.
The downtrend in food inflation was largely driven by the slower price increase in vegetables, fish, and meat. Prices slowed down for pork (0.5% from 4.8%), chicken (0.6% from 0.7%), and beef (4.6% from 5.5%) in January 2026 from the previous month.
“Fewer areas were affected by African Swine Flu cases, while faster withdrawals from cold storage facilities helped temper both pork and chicken price increases,” explained Edillon.
However, inflation quickened in other non-food sectors, such as in housing rentals (2.8% from 2.4%), electricity (6.5% from 4.1%), and food and beverage services (4.0% from 2.5%) in January 2026 from December 2025. To address the quickening of non-food inflation, the government is implementing policy measures to address issues in the energy sector.
First, the Department of Energy is streamlining and strengthening the implementation of the Net Metering Program by enforcing time-bound local permitting, simplifying utility documentary requirements, and expanding consumer incentives.
The program allows consumers to install eligible renewable energy systems and export surplus electricity to the grid, helping lower electricity costs and support the energy transition. Second, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) adopted a uniform lifeline consumption threshold of 0-50 kWh, which grants qualified customers a 100-percent discount on applicable electricity charges.
ERC also approved a uniform lifeline subsidy rate of PHP0.01/kWh to provide equitable discounts for marginalized and low-income households.
“Rest assured that we are exerting all efforts to strengthen food systems, improve climate resilience, and enhance governance to further support price stability and help sustain economic momentum in the months ahead,” Edillon said.
