Daily Tribune
(January 7 2025) On Tuesday, January 7, 2025, a customer purchases tomatoes despite the high price due to a decrease in local supply. At Marikina Public Market, it can cost up to 280 pesos per kilogram. According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), tomato prices are expected to fall by the end of January or early February, when the harvest begins. Photo/Analy Labor
ANALY LABOR
Retail prices of key food commodities in the Philippines showed a mix of increases and decreases during the first phase of February 2026, according to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.
Regular milled rice averaged P45.54 per kilogram, up from P43.76 in the second phase of January and P43.14 in the first phase of January. Despite this month-on-month rise, rice remained cheaper compared with the same period last year, when prices were P47.19 in the second phase and P47.77 in the first phase of February 2025.
Fresh pork, specifically liempo, saw a slight decline in retail prices, averaging P368.95 per kilogram. This was lower than the P371.07 recorded in late January and P372.96 in early January 2026. Prices also remained below levels from February 2025, which averaged between P375.02 and P378.84 per kilogram.
Tilapia, on the other hand, recorded an increase to P190.12 per kilogram, up from P184.86 in late January and P187.84 in early January. Prices for the same periods in February 2025 were P178.72 and P179.10, indicating a steady rise over the past year.
Vegetables and fruits showed varying movements. Tomatoes averaged P105.26 per kilogram, down from P131.24 in late January and P134.89 in early January, but slightly higher than P90.64 in late February 2025. Red onion prices declined to P190.49 from P204.33 in late January, yet remained above February 2025 levels of P162.69–P182.47. Meanwhile, calamansi prices rose to P110.46 per kilogram, from P105.12 in late January and P104.89 in early January 2026, reflecting a clear year-on-year increase from P86.45–P89.30 in February 2025.
Brown sugar averaged P71.68 per kilogram, slightly lower than P72.10 in late January but higher than P70.97 in early January 2026. Compared with February 2025, prices remained below the P75.33 recorded during the same period.
Overall, the data show that while some commodities like rice, tilapia, and calamansi experienced price gains, others such as pork, tomatoes, and red onion saw declines, reflecting a mixed trend in food retail prices across the country in early February.
