Latest news with #Mapa
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Jobless Filipinos rose to 2.06M in April 2025, says PSA
The number of Filipinos without jobs or livelihoods rose to over two million in April 2025 as more people entered the labor force, seeking jobs, during the period but only few were absorbed by the market, according to the results of the Philippine Statistics Authority's latest Labor Force Survey. At a press briefing on Friday, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa reported that unemployed persons, ages 15 and above, increased slightly to 2.06 million in the fourth month of the year from 1.93 million in March 2025. Year-on-year, jobless individuals climbed by 23,000 from 2.04 million in April 2024, according to the PSA chief. As a percentage of 50.74 million participants in the labor force —who are actively looking for labor opportunities during the period — the number of unemployed persons translated to an unemployment rate of 4.1%, up from 3.9% in March and 4% in April last year. 'Dumami kasi ang mga kasama sa labor force, labor force participation, so siya 'yung factor… 'pag tumataas ang labor force participation, hindi naman lahat na-absorb lahat para maging employed persons,' Mapa said. (The increase in the number of those joining the labor force was the factor… when labor force participation rises, not everyone is absorbed to become employed persons.) Labor force participants grew by 340,000 from April 2024 and by about 780,000 from March 2025's 49.96 million. Of the 340,000 year-on-year growth in labor force participation, the PSA chief said about 317,000 became employed while 23,000 were not absorbed. 'Despite the slight uptick in unemployment, the Philippine labor market continues to demonstrate resilience amid global headwinds. We remain on track to meet our target unemployment range of 4.4% to 4.7% set under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028,' said Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) officer-in-charge and Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Rosemarie Edillon. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
PSA: Rice inflation seen to average negative in 2025
At a press conference in Quezon City on Thursday, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa reported a sharper year-on-year deflation or 'negative inflation' in rice at -12.8% in May 2025 from -10.9% in April 2025. The retail price of the Philippines' staple food rice is expected to continue to go down, settling at a negative inflation rate for the whole of 2025, the Philippine Statistics Authority said on Thursday. At a press conference in Quezon City on Thursday, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa reported a sharper year-on-year deflation or 'negative inflation' in rice at -12.8% in May 2025 from -10.9% in April 2025. For the January to May period, rice inflation clocked in at -7.7%, according to the PSA chief. Last month also marked the 11th consecutive month of decline in rice's inflation print and the fifth month in a row that the rate of the staple's cost had been contracting. The trend of easing inflation for rice seen since August 2024 was consistent with the PSA's expectation that it will begin easing towards the second half of 2024 due to base effects, particularly when it began its uptrend in August 2023, as well as the impact of lower rice import tariff which took effect early July last year. 'The expectation is that it will continue to go down, definitely there are base effects. It will continue to be negative [inflation] for at least until August… but definitely the average for the whole year would be negative,' Mapa said. To illustrate the contraction in rice inflation seen last month, Mapa bared the year-on-year national average prices of regular, well-milled, and special rice varieties during the period. In particular, the following are the average prices of rice at the national level in May 2025: Regular milled: P43.19 per kilo from P51.11 per kilo in May 2024 Well-milled: P49.45 per kilo from P56.06 per kilo Special: P59.80 per kilo from P64.41 per kilo year-on-year The PSA chief also cited the government's ongoing P20 per kilo rice initiative aimed at easing the inflationary burden of those in the vulnerable sectors such as 4Ps beneficiaries, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and single parents. 'The P20 rice is already coming in various outlets,' Mapa said. In a separate statement, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is 'expanding the reach of the P20 rice program and is studying a reduction in the suggested retail price (SRP) for imported rice—the national staple that dominates Filipino tables, especially among the poor.' The Department of Agriculture said that rice accounts for P9 of every P100 spent by the average Filipino. Among the bottom 30% of income households, the figure doubles. With the introduction of the P20 per kilo rice program in Bacolod City, the DA said the total number of outlets offering the subsidized grain grew to 87, exceeding the original target of 55 outlets by end-June. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the DA to sustain the subsidized rice initiative through June 2028, to reach up to 60 million Filipinos. –NB, GMA Integrated News
Agriland
19-05-2025
- Health
- Agriland
EU and China ban chicken imports from Brazil after bird flu case
Brazil, the largest producer and exporter of poultry meat in the world, has confirmed its first outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) on a commercial poultry farm, resulting in certain trade bans. The country's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) confirmed the detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (IAHP) in a commercial poultry breeding farm in the state of Rio Grande do Sul last week. The ministry said that this is the first outbreak of IAHP detected in a commercial poultry farming system in Brazil. Brazil Mapa said that containment and eradication measures of the outbreak provided for in the national contingency plan are underway. This will 'aim not only to eradicate the disease, but also to maintain the sector's production capacity, guaranteeing supply and, thus, food security for the population'. The ministry added that the Brazilian veterinary service has been trained and equipped to deal with this disease since the first decade of the 2000s. In a bid to prevent the disease entering the Brazilian commercial poultry farming system, several actions have been adopted over the years. These measures include monitoring wild birds; epidemiological surveillance in commercial and subsistence poultry farming; ongoing training of official and private veterinary services; health education and the implementation of surveillance activities at points of entry of animals and their products into Brazil. 'Such measures were crucial and proved to be effective and efficient in delaying the entry of the disease into Brazilian commercial poultry farming over the past almost 20 years,' Mapa said. In order to comply with existing trade agreements signed with China and the EU, poultry exports from Brazil are now restricted. Countries such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Philippines have protocols which will see exports from the affected state banned. Brazil's ministry of agriculture has advised the public that the bird flu is not transmitted by the consumption of poultry meat or eggs. 'The Brazilian and global population can rest assured that inspected products are safe, and there are no restrictions on their consumption. 'The risk of human infection by the avian influenza virus is low and, in most cases, occurs among handlers or professionals who have intense contact with infected birds (alive or dead),' it said.
Filipino Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Filipino Times
PH inflation in April slows to 1.4%, lowest in over 5 years — PSA
The Philippines' inflation eased to 1.4% in April, the lowest level since November 2019, driven by declining rice prices and slower increases in transport and food costs, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported. National Statistician Dennis Mapa highlighted the significant role of falling rice prices in pulling down the overall inflation rate. Rice inflation registered -10.9% last month, with regular-milled rice averaging P44.45/kg, well-milled at P50.54, and special rice at P60.69. 'Itong April 2025 rice inflation… malaking contribution sa pagbaba ng presyo ng overall bilihin at serbisyo ng bansa,' Mapa said. Despite this, pork prices remained a major inflation driver, with fresh pork kasim at P364.79/kg and liempo at P381.02/kg — figures affected by the ongoing impact of African Swine Fever. The Department of Agriculture's price control measures continue to face low compliance. Other upward pressures came from electricity, poultry, rentals, and dining out, which could contribute to a potential rise in inflation in the coming months, according to Mapa. April's inflation brings the year-to-date average to 2%, within the government's target band of 2% to 4%. The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development emphasized the need for continued coordination to stabilize prices, especially for essential goods.
