PIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr. Roehlano Briones was featured in GMA’s 24 Oras Special SONA Report aired on July 24, 2025, which tackled the puzzling disconnect between the declining inflation rate and consumers’ persistent struggle with rising prices.
Despite the inflation rate dropping from 5.8% in 2022 to 1.4% this year, many Filipinos still feel the pinch—especially at the market. Dr. Briones pointed to rice policy reforms as a key factor in stabilizing prices, noting:
“There’s some great accomplishments over the past year, namely, the decision to cut the tariff on rice.”
The report also discussed the P20 Bigas Meron Na Program recently launched by the Department of Agriculture, aimed at lowering rice prices through Kadiwa Centers. However, Dr. Briones cautioned that despite subsidies, the continued influx of low-cost imported rice is putting pressure on local palay prices:
“It’s not plausible that much rice is driving the market price. Traders are comparing the palay rice being offered by farmers versus the availability of cheap imported rice.”
Read the related study here: https://tinyurl.com/PN2021-02
Watch the full GMA 24 Oras report by Sandra Aguinaldo: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bkhr9wLme/
