MANILA, Philippines — Higher prices of key food items, along with rising transport and energy costs, drove inflation higher last month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Tuesday.
Consumer price growth accelerated to 7.2 percent in September, ending four consecutive months of easing. This was significantly higher than the 6.1 percent inflation rate recorded in August 2026 and the 1.7 percent posted in September last year.
This matched April’s over three-year high of 7.2 percent and within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)’s 6.4 to 7.4-percent estimate for the month.
“The uptrend in the overall inflation rate in September 2026 was primarily influenced by the faster annual increment in the heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages at 6.7 percent during the month from 4.6 percent in August 2026,” the PSA said.
“Also contributed to the uptrend of the overall inflation were the faster annual increases in September 2026 observed in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels,” it added.
