“Inflation isn’t a headline; it’s a gnawing presence at the dinner table”
For millions of Filipinos, daily life has been reduced to hard choices: skip meat, less rice, cut another meal.
It’s not just about budgeting—it’s living in subsistence mode.
Inflation isn’t a headline; it’s a gnawing presence at the dinner table.
The Filipino consumer is in crisis, and with the May elections coming, that crisis demands to be front and center.
According to a Pulse Asia survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group in Feb. 2025, about three out of four registered voters have already reduced their meat consumption because of rising prices.
One in three is eating less rice—our staple food. And more than half of the country believes the government should prioritize making basic commodities affordable above all else.
This isn’t just a conversation about agriculture or inflation. It’s about dignity, nutrition, and survival.
As the May midterm elections approach, we must look beyond the personalities, the rabid disinformation in social media, or the raging dirty partisan games.
For the Filipino consumer, this mid-term elections is about securing leaders who will be consumer centric champions who will act with urgency, and deliver tangible results.
The stark reality is in the numbers.
Seventy-four percent of voters have cut down on meat. Thirty-five percent are eating less rice. These aren’t just bad numbers—they’re empty plates, hungry schoolkids, and families running on less each day.
This isn’t just about food prices—it’s about the toll on health, child development, and the country’s future workforce. Malnutrition now will cripple the nation’s future.
From 2021 to 2023, nearly 7 million Filipinos experienced severe food insecurity, and over 50 million were moderately food insecure, according to the UN FAO.
In a country where rice and one meat viand is already a modest diet, being forced to cut back means more than economic pain. It signals an erosion of dignity and quality of life..
That’s why food affordability has overtaken every other concern among consumers, particularly among the poor.
In Mindanao, 63 percent of respondents say affordable food is their top priority. The same is true for 59 percent of Class E households. They aren’t demanding handouts—they’re asking for a system that works.
The government’s “ayuda” programs are important but people know this is temporary.
Voters are asking for real solutions—direct farm-to-market links, protection from price manipulation, better trade management, and investment in agricultural modernization.
Thirty-seven percent of Filipinos believe the government must help eliminate middlemen and connect farmers to consumers directly. The supply chain isn’t just inefficient—it’s exploitative, and consumers have no choice but to pay the bill..
Half of Filipino voters believe that at ₱35 per kilo, rice would be affordable enough to feed a family three times a day. But 35% disagree, and 14% remain unsure. Support for this price point is strongest in the Visayas and Mindanao, where around 6 in 10 voters say it would be enough. In Metro Manila, however, a majority believe even ₱35 isn’t enough to meet basic needs.
When asked what kind of support they need to cope with rising costs, most Filipinos point to just two things: cheaper basic goods (53 percent) and access to jobs or livelihood programs (51 percent).
In poorer areas like Mindanao and among Classes D and E, the call for affordable essentials is even louder reaching up to 63 percent.
Employment support also ranks high, especially in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon.
Other forms of help—like skills training (37 percent), financial aid (32 percent), and higher wages (25 percent)—trail behind.
Strikingly, higher pay is the least mentioned across nearly all groups, suggesting not that it’s unimportant, but perhaps people have stopped hoping it will happen.
When Filipinos go hungry, the nation loses more than just productivity—it loses human potential. This is a public health crisis, a human capital crisis, and a governance crisis all in one.
The Department of Agriculture and other key agencies must pivot.
They must serve both producers and consumers, ensuring fair prices without killing demand. Investing in climate-resilient technologies, regulating prices, and cutting expensive middle layers in the supply chain are not just nice ideas—they’re the bare minimum.
The May 12 elections is not about political colors, witty slogans, or familiar names.
It’s about whether a family eats three times a day or not at all.
Whether children go to school hungry, or with a fair shot at a better life.
Let us elect leaders who know the weight of an empty kitchen and will act to fill it.
We need a government that remembers who it’s meant to serve.