Wholesale prices of goods in the Philippines slightly up in February

MANILA, Philippines -- Wholesale prices of goods in the Philippines increased slightly in February, driven by the rising costs of construction materials, food and petroleum-based products.

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the General Wholesale Price Index (GWPI)maintained its 2.9-percent growth rate in February, unchanged from January.

However, the index marked a a slight increase from 2.8 percent recorded in February 2024.

The GWPI tracks price changes of goods sold in bulk before reaching retailers,

The sub-index for crude materials, inedible except fuels, rose to 60.6 percent from 58.6 percent.

The chemicals category, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, saw a slight increase, growing to 10.1 percent from 9.9 percent.

Meanwhile, machinery and transport equipment showed a price growth of 1.6 percent, up from 1.3 percent in January.

On the other hand, a slower annual increase was observed in the sub-index for manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials, which rose by 0.9 percent.

Additionally, the sub-index for mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials saw an annual decline of 0.3 percent in February, reversing the 0.8 percent increase recorded in January 2025.

Regional data

On a regional basis, the year-on-year growth rate of wholesale prices in Luzon remained at 3.2 percent, the same as in January.

This was a notable increase from the 2.6 percent recorded in February 2024, however.

In the Visayas, the GWPI eased to 1.0 percent during the month, down from 1.6 percent in January.

This meant a slower growth rate compare to the 6.1 percent recorded in February 2024.

For Mindanao, the annual growth rate of the index increased to 0.7 percent in February, up slightly from 0.6 percent last January.

However, this was a decrease from the 2.5 percent recorded in February 2024.

(2025/04/04-08:30)