Regional inequality in rice inflation?

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reports rice inflation at 15.6 percent in May 2026, meaning rice prices were about 16 percent higher than last year. This national average, however, somewhat conceals large differences across regions. In Metro Manila, rice inflation was 10.5 percent. But much higher increases were recorded in SOCCSKSARGEN (27.5 percent), Caraga (23.6 percent), the Davao Region and Zamboanga Peninsula (22.1 percent), and Northern Mindanao (19.6 percent). Several of the highest figures, in fact, are concentrated in Mindanao, indicating that price pressures are geographically uneven. Month-on-month data show some easing between April and May 2026, with rice prices declining in areas such as Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Davao Region, and SOCCSKSARGEN. While these monthly movements suggest short-term relief in select markets, rice remains substantially more expensive than in May 2025 across all regions. In concrete terms, a kilo of rice that cost about ₱50 a year ago now costs roughly ₱57 to ₱58 nationally. In SOCCSKSARGEN, it is closer to ₱64, compared to about ₱55 in Metro Manila. For households that rely on rice as a daily staple, these price differences quickly add up, stretching monthly budgets, especially for lower-income families. What is in it for government? Rice prices is politically salient because they are directly felt and easily attributed to government performance. Noticeably, the areas with the highest rice inflation rates coincide with those where public approval of the administration has tended to be weaker in recent surveys. Early in his 2022 campaign, President Marcos promised to bring the price of rice down to P20 per kilo. While many different factors influence public opinion, the uneven burden of high rice prices across the country arguably affects how voters view the government. Against this backdrop, it may be more productive for the government as a whole to shift its attention toward stabilizing rice prices, rather than allowing the ongoing impeachment proceedings and Senate spectacles to completely overshadow the more pressing issue of keeping a basic staple affordable.