MANILA – Prices of items on the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs) list will remain stable until the end of 2026 amid another uptick in the domestic inflation rate.
“For BNPCs, there’s still no price increase up to December 31, 2026,” Trade and Industry Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque said Thursday on the sidelines of the Philippine Exporters Trade Exposition & Forum (PETEF) 2026 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
There are 190 stock keeping units (SKUs) under the BNCP and these include canned fish, processed milk, coffee, bread, and laundry soaps.
Earlier in the day, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported the jump in the domestic rate of price increases to 7.8 percent last October from the previous month’s 7.2 percent.
The year-to-date average inflation reached 5.6 percent, well above the 2 percent to 4 percent target band of the central bank.
Roque said the government continues to help entrepreneurs address the inflation uptick by ensuring funding and access to more markets.
She said the Small Business Corporation (SBCorp) has several loan programs intended for students, women entrepreneurs, and former overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), among others.
SBCorp has a PHP12-billion loan disbursement target for 2026.
“We follow the mandate of the President, so we just need to move forward. Whatever we need to do we’re headed for that. We really need to push for the local market. We also push for the global market. We find markets for those who sell locally and those that are exporters,” she added. (PNA)
