INFLATION likely accelerated further to a new five-year high in August, based on a Manila Times poll of economists whose forecasts for the month ranged from 5.8 percent to 6.1 percent, or an average of 5.8 percent.

Since March, consumer price growth topped the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) 2.0-4.0 percent target — hitting 5.7 percent in July — prompting three successive policy rate increases from monetary authorities.