Household food budgets came under renewed pressure in early September as prices of rice, fish, vegetables and fruits climbed across the country, latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
Average retail prices of regular milled rice, chicken eggs, galunggong, cabbage, native garlic and carabao mango increased during the September 1 to 5 monitoring period compared with levels recorded in August.
Regular milled rice, one of the most closely watched household staples, averaged ₱49.96 per kilogram nationwide. This was higher than ₱49.61 in the second half of August and ₱49.64 in the first half.
Compared with a year earlier, the difference was even wider. Regular milled rice averaged ₱40.11 per kilogram in the second half of September 2025 and ₱40.31 in the first half, making rice nearly ₱10 per kilogram more expensive in the latest monitoring period.
Consumers also paid more for galunggong, which averaged ₱248.53 per kilogram from ₱246.13 in the second half of August and ₱241.46 in the first half.
Galunggong prices were also well above the ₱232.37 and ₱231.11 averages recorded during the comparable September 2025 periods.
Cabbage registered an even steeper increase. Its average retail price jumped to ₱125.86 per kilogram from ₱100.11 in the second half of August and ₱91.63 in the first half.
That means cabbage became about ₱34 per kilogram more expensive compared with the first half of August.
Carabao mango also posted a substantial increase, rising to ₱182.96 per kilogram from ₱164.32 in the second half of August and ₱156.24 in the first half. The latest average was also above the ₱176.03 and ₱174.04 recorded during comparable periods last year.
Native garlic rose more moderately to ₱173.36 per kilogram from ₱169.14 and ₱167.95 in August. Despite the increase, garlic remained cheaper than its September 2025 levels of ₱182.38 and ₱183.33 per kilogram.
Chicken eggs edged higher to ₱9.26 apiece from ₱9.16 in the second half of August and ₱9.15 in the first half. Egg prices, however, remained below the ₱9.40 and ₱9.39 averages recorded a year earlier.
Brown sugar was among the commodities that offered consumers some relief. Its average retail price eased to ₱71.55 per kilogram from ₱71.74 and ₱71.73 during the two August monitoring periods.
Brown sugar was also cheaper compared with September 2025, when average prices exceeded ₱74 per kilogram.
The mixed price movements underscore the continuing volatility in food costs, with higher prices for key staples and fresh produce adding pressure to the everyday grocery bills of Filipino households.
