BARMM deflation eases to –1.3% as rice prices stabilize

This means that region remains in deflation, with prices still lower than a year ago, but the pace of decline has eased.

PSA-BARMM Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Engr. Akan Tula said rice remained the single biggest contributor to BARMM’s inflation in October, posting –17.9 percent—slightly higher than –18.3 percent in September—and pulling down the overall rate by –2.61 percentage points.

Although rice prices were still much lower than a year ago, the slower pace of decline eased the region’s overall deflation.

He said this trend reflected the continued influence of the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages commodity group, which remained the main driver of October’s inflation.

“The primary commodity group that contributed was Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, which recorded a –3.2 percent inflation rate and an equivalent 124.8 percent inflation share to the region’s overall rate,” he said.

He added that within this group, Cereals and Cereal Products continued to exert the strongest pull, recording –11.8 percent in October 2025 from –12.1 percent in September, driven largely by movements in regular milled rice.

Other items contributing to the slight easing included cane sugar (–2.3 percent from –2.1 percent), cassava/manioc (–6.7 percent from –7.0 percent), gasoline (–2.8 percent from –2.1 percent), and bread, which maintained –0.9 percent for both September and October, contributing –0.03 percentage points.

During the Stat-Talakayan discussions, Camelia De Vera-Dacanay, chief economic development specialist of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), said the continued decline in inflation shows that some sectors providing basic goods and services are still vulnerable.

“Some of the sectors most affected are those providing basic goods and services,” she said.

Agriculture, retail services, and small-scale manufacturers—who supply food and essential goods across the Bangsamoro—remain among the most vulnerable and need stronger support to recover amid ongoing deflation.

Dacanay also urged ministries and partner agencies to use available data for better planning.

“We encourage our ministries and partners to use the data they have gathered so that planning and decision-making become evidence-based,” she emphasized.


“This ensures that the programs and projects they design are suited to the needs of their sectors,” she added.