MANILA - Inflation picked up further to 4.3 percent in March due to higher prices of food, beverages, tobacco, utilities, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Thursday.

The PSA also revised February inflation lower to 3.8 percent from 3.9 percent. The inflation numbers used 2012 prices as base. Until January this year, data was computed based in 2006 prices.

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Food prices alone rose 5.7 percent in March, from 4.8 percent in February and 3.1 percent in March last year, the PSA said.

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The Bangko Sentral has set an inflation target of 2 to 4 percent.