Manila, June 12 -- Slower jumps in food prices in Eastern Visayas resulted in a further slowdown of the inflation rate (IR) from 0.6 percent in April to 0.4 percent in May, the lowest since 2019.

Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday showed that the food index registered an annual price decrease of 0.9 percent in May 2025 from its drop of 0.6 percent in April same year, primarily influenced by the faster annual price decrease of rice at 14.3 percent, from 11.9 percent annual decline in April.

"The slower IR of vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses at 8.4 percent in May 2025, from 9.5 percent in April 2025, likewise contributed to the faster annual price decrease of the food index," ...