Romualdez: Lowering food prices is ‘no. 1 priority’

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. | INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Martin Romualdez said that lowering food prices is an “urgent need,” adding that it was the “number one priority” for the Marcos administration.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) previously reported that while inflation stood at 2.9 percent in January 2025, food inflation rose to 4.0 percent from 3.5 percent in December 2024.

“[Ang] pagpapababa ng presyo ay hindi lamang isang pangmatagalang layunin, ito ay isang agarang pangangailangan (Lowering prices is not only a long-term goal, it’s an urgent need),” Romualdez said in a statement on Saturday.

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“Kapag mataas ang presyo ng pagkain at bilihin, direktang naaapektuhan ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino. Kaya naman, bilang mga lingkod-bayan, obligasyon nating siguruhin na may sapat na pagkain sa abot-kayang halaga,” he added.

(If the price of food and goods is high, each Filipino family is directly affected. That’s why, as public servants, it’s our obligation to ensure that there is an adequate and affordable food supply.)

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The House speaker added that their goal was to ensure a “steady and predictable” food supply.

“Ang pagtugon sa inflation ay hindi lang trabaho ng Bangko Sentral. Dapat itong sabayan ng matalinong pamamahala sa suplay ng pagkain at iba pang pangunahing bilihin,”

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(Responding to inflation is not only the work of the Central Bank. This should be paired with smart governance over the food supply and other primary goods.)