Sector-specific measures needed to ease El Niño effects

Rate of price increases in the Philippines remains manageable, and even below the government’s target, despite the El Niño but an economist of the Department of Finance (DOF) said sector-specific measures are needed to lessen inflationary risks.

DOF chief economist and Undersecretary Gil Beltran said further drop of inflation in February 2016 to 0.9 percent from the previous month’s 1.3 percent and the Finance’s department’s 1.4-percent forecast is largely due to slower food inflation.