The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that retail prices of several food staples, including rice, pork, tomatoes, ginger, and Lakatan bananas, declined across the Davao Region during the first five days of June, offering some relief to consumers. However, cooking oil continued to rise.
Price Declines Observed in Six of Seven Monitored Commodities
The PSA's latest Retail Price Survey, conducted from June 1 to 5, showed that six of the seven monitored agricultural commodities either posted lower prices than the previous survey period or remained relatively stable. Cooking oil was the only commodity that recorded increases both from late May and from the same period last year.
Regular milled rice, the country's staple food, averaged P54.06 per kilogram during the survey period, down from P55.59 in the second phase of May and P56.04 in the first phase of May. The PSA said the lower price reflected a month-on-month decline, although rice remained significantly more expensive than a year earlier, when it sold for about P42.45 per kilogram.
Pork and Fish Prices Also Drop
Fresh pork with bones also became cheaper. The regional average slipped to P284.70 per kilogram, compared with P287.06 in the second half of May and P287.64 in early May. The latest price also remained well below the more than P334 per kilogram recorded during the same period in June 2025.
Fish prices remained relatively stable, with bangus averaging P216.67 per kilogram, slightly lower than the P217.08 recorded in the second phase of May. Despite the modest month-on-month decline, bangus still sold at a higher price than in June last year, the PSA reported.
Vegetables and Fruits Follow Downward Trend
Among vegetables and fruits, tomatoes continued to decline after posting sharp increases earlier this year. The average retail price fell to P71.60 per kilogram from P83.60 in the first half of May and P71.93 in the second half of the month. Even so, tomatoes remained more expensive than during the same period in 2025.
Hawaiian ginger also extended its downward trend. The commodity averaged P130.20 per kilogram, down from P133.10 in late May and P135.60 in early May. Unlike tomatoes, ginger prices also fell below year-ago levels, the report showed.
Lakatan Bananas See Largest Decline
Lakatan bananas posted one of the largest price declines among the commodities monitored. The average retail price dropped to P66.17 per kilogram from P70.77 in the second phase of May and P67.00 in the first phase of the month. The latest price was likewise lower than those recorded during both survey periods in June 2025.
Cooking Oil Continues to Rise
In contrast, cooking oil continued its upward trend. The average retail price climbed to P193.27 per liter, up from P190.49 in the second half of May and P190.32 in the first half of the month. The PSA also noted that cooking oil costs more than during the same period last year, when it averaged below P186 per liter.
The PSA compiles the retail price survey to monitor price movements of selected commodities used in computing the Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation. The latest survey covered markets across the Davao Region from June 1 to 5, 2026, with the agency releasing the report on July 1.
