DOF may nilinaw sa inflation rate: Pangulong Marcos, Jr. misunderstood

NI NEILLANTONIO

Nilinaw ni Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Benjamin Diokno na may pagkakamali sa pagkakaintindi sa inilabas na inflation rate na 6.1 percent ng Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Sa kanyang abiso, sinabi ni Diokno na sa press conference at kauna-unahang Cabinet meeting ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., ay nagkaroon ng hindi pagkakaunawaan hinggil sa inflation rate.

Sinabi ng kalihim na ang pahayag ng Pangulong Marcos ay tumukoy sa full-year inflation figure kung saan ang year-to-date average ay kasalukuyang nasa 4.4 porsiyento lamang.

Aniya, noong Hunyo 2022 at ang year-to-date inflation numbers ay nasa forecast range ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) at ang Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), kasama ang June forecast ng BSP na nasa 5.7 hanggang 6.5 percent.

Samantala, ang full-year forecast ay nasa 3.7 hanggang 4.7 porsiyento base na rin sa DBCC’s macroeconomic assumptions simula Mayo 24, 2022. 

Sinabi pa ni Diokno na tama si Pangulong Marcos na sabihing ang kasalukuyang high inflation rate para sa buwan ng Hunyo ay hindi  dapat alalahanin lamang ng Pilipinas kung hindi sa iba pang bansa.

“Among our peers, Indonesia’s overall inflation climbed to 4.4 percent in June from 3.6 percent in May. Meanwhile, Thailand’s inflation rate increased to 7.7 percent in June from 7.1 percent in May. Inflation in the Euro zone, which includes Germany, Italy, Spain, etcetera,  stood at 8.6 percent in June, the highest in 11 years. Meanwhile, the United States’ inflation rate in May reached a 40-year high of 8.6 percent,” paliwanag pa ni Diokno.

Ang pagtaas aniya ng inflation rate noong Hunyo ay dahil sa mabilis na  price adjustments sa personal transport equipment; electricity, gas, at iba pang langis; at mga karne at iba pang bahagi ng land animals.

Tinitiyak ni Diokno ang publiko na ginagawa ng pamahalaan ang lahat para mapanatili ang presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin.

“Rest assured, the recent acceleration of inflation will be arrested by the government through addressing constraints in the food, energy, and transportation and logistics sectors,” ani Diokno.

“Considering that oil prices are expected to remain elevated in the near term, the government will expedite the release of the second tranche of subsidies for the transport sector,” dagdag pa nito.