The country's annual growth rate of the General Wholesale Price Index (GWPI) picked up to 11.4 percent in April from 10.7 percent in March. This can be attributed to higher annual rates observed in food items (8.5% from 7.4%); beverages and tobacco (4.8% from 1.5%); crude materials, inedible except fuels (25.9% from 24.8%); and mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (29.6% from 28.6%). However, the annual rates for the following commodity groups slowed down during the month: chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, 9.5 percent from 10.3 percent; manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials, 3.2 percent from 3.3 percent; and machinery and transport equipment, 3.7 percent from 3.8 percent. Meanwhile, for three consecutive months, the annual growth rate for miscellaneous manufactured articles remained at 2.8 percent.

The year-on-year growth rate of the General Wholesale Price Index (GWPI) in the Philippines increased to 8.5 percent in February from 8.0 percent in January. All the commodity groups registered higher annual growth rates except for the manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials whose annual growth rate decelerated to 3.0 percent from 3.3 percent. The annual growth rate of food index moved higher at 3.8 percent in February from 3.6 percent in January; beverages and tobacco, 1.5 percent from 1.4 percent; crude materials, inedible except fuels, 19.3 percent from 12.2 percent; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, 26.4 percent from 25.9 percent; chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, 9.4 percent from 6.7 percent; machinery and transport equipment, 1.3 percent from 1.1 percent; and miscellaneous manufactured articles, 2.8 percent from 2.7 percent.

Year-on-year inflation rate of the General Wholesale Price Index (GWPI) at the national level went up at a slower rate of 6.3 percent in December from 6.6 percent in November. Annual price adjustments for crude materials, inedible except fuels eased to 11.9 percent from 19.5 percent; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, 18.6 percent from 19.3 percent; chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, 5.5 percent from 7.1 percent; and manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials, 4.0 percent from 4.5 percent. On the other hand, higher inflation rates were correspondingly noted in the prices of food items and machinery and transport equipment at 3.3 percent and 0.1 percent in December from their respective November rates of 2.6 percent and zero growth. Inflation for beverages and tobacco and miscellaneous manufactured articles moved at their previous month's rates of 2.0 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.