Marcos calls Philippine food inflation an 'emergency situation'

President signals need for more imports to stem price rises

20230124 marcos onion sugar

“I lose sleep every night over how to bring down inflation,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a TV interview on Jan. 23. (Nikkei montage/Yuichi Shiga/Kosaku Mimura/AFP/Jiji)

CLIFF VENZON, Nikkei staff writer

MANILA -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called the country's surging food prices an "emergency situation," saying he favored importing more to stem inflation.

Food inflation has become a reality check for the president, who also serves as agriculture secretary and has been critical of imports. After last year's jump in sugar prices, the dramatic rise in the cost of onions -- a staple ingredient in Filipino cuisine -- has become a new symbol of his predicament.

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