Bacolod inflation climbs to 7.8% in August, beating national rate

BACOLOD CITY — Prices in Bacolod City rose faster in August, pushing the city’s inflation rate to 7.8 percent from 7.3 percent in July, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

That is well above the national rate of 6.1 percent and the Negros Island Region (NIR) rate of 5.8 percent for the same month.

In Negros Occidental, inflation edged up to 4.8 percent in August from 4.6 percent in July.

A year earlier, the province had a rate of -0.2 percent, meaning average prices were slightly lower than in August 2024. Bacolod’s rate in August 2025 was 0.0 percent.

The PSA Negros Occidental Provincial Statistical Office released the figures on Sept. 16, a day after statistical analyst Ligaya M. Gillesania presented them at a press briefing.

Nationwide, inflation eased slightly to 6.1 percent in August from 6.2 percent in July. It remains well above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range of 2 to 4 percent.

From January to August, average inflation stood at 5.2 percent nationwide, 3.7 percent in the NIR, 2.7 percent in Negros Occidental, and 5.1 percent in Bacolod.

The NIR, created in 2024, groups Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, and Bacolod City under one region.

In Negros Occidental, the rise was driven mainly by faster increases in housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels. Inflation in that group went to 5.4 percent from 3.6 percent.

Electricity prices in the province were 4.7 percent higher than a year earlier, a reversal from July, when they were 2.6 percent lower.

Transport inflation in the province rose to 9.0 percent from 7.8 percent.

Diesel prices were 49.0 percent higher than a year earlier, up from 32.5 percent in July.

Housing and utilities make up 17.9 percent of the province’s consumer basket, while transport makes up 16.4 percent.

Housing and utilities accounted for 68.9 percent of the province’s inflation uptrend. Transport accounted for 21.9 percent, and alcoholic beverages and tobacco for 7.8 percent.

Inflation for alcoholic beverages and tobacco rose to 9.7 percent from 8.5 percent.

Information and communication also rose, to 2.9 percent from 2.7 percent.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages moved the other way, slowing to 2.3 percent from 3.1 percent.

Eight commodity groups in the province had the same annual rates as in July:

• Clothing and footwear, 7.7 percent
• Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance, 12.2 percent
• Health, 10.7 percent
• Recreation, sport, and culture, 13.5 percent
• Education services, -3.1 percent
• Restaurants and accommodation services, 3.9 percent
• Financial services, 0.0 percent
• Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, 5.6 percent

Monthly inflation in the province this year has gone from 0.7 percent in January and 0.3 percent in February to 0.0 percent in March. It then rose to a revised 3.2 percent in April, 4.2 percent in May, 3.5 percent in June, and 4.6 percent in July.

In Bacolod, the faster rate also came mainly from utilities and transport.

The city’s housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels index rose to 9.0 percent from 8.1 percent. Electricity inflation climbed to 26.2 percent from 21.7 percent.

Transport inflation in the city went up to 15.8 percent from 14.5 percent. Diesel prices were 54.6 percent higher than a year earlier, up from 41.6 percent in July.

Housing and utilities make up 23.6 percent of the city’s basket, while transport makes up 20.7 percent.

Housing and utilities were the biggest contributor to Bacolod’s inflation, with a 35.3 percent share of the uptrend.

Restaurants and accommodation services came second with a 32.9 percent share, as that group’s inflation rose to 12.4 percent from 10.1 percent.

Transport came third with a 19.6 percent share.

Six other groups in the city also posted faster increases:

• Clothing and footwear, 10.3 percent from 10.2 percent
• Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance, 9.8 percent from 9.7 percent
• Health, 3.6 percent from 2.8 percent
• Information and communication, 2.8 percent from 2.5 percent
• Recreation, sport, and culture, 5.4 percent from 5.2 percent
• Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, 5.1 percent from 4.6 percent

Food and non-alcoholic beverages in Bacolod slowed to 5.9 percent from 6.2 percent.

Three groups in the city kept their July rates: alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 8.4 percent, education services at -6.3 percent, and financial services at 0.0 percent.

Bacolod’s inflation has risen every month since February. It went from 1.1 percent in January and 0.1 percent in February to 3.4 percent in March, a revised 6.6 percent in April, 7.0 percent in May, 7.1 percent in June, and 7.3 percent in July.

The squeeze is harder on the city’s poorest families. Inflation for Bacolod’s bottom 30 percent income households rose to 8.7 percent in August from 8.2 percent in July, compared with -1.4 percent in August 2025.

The PSA tracks this group with a separate basket of goods and weights that reflect what lower-income families usually buy.

For these households in Bacolod, the rise was driven by food and non-alcoholic beverages at 8.3 percent from 8.0 percent. Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels rose to 10.7 percent from 9.7 percent, and restaurants and accommodation services to 12.4 percent from 10.1 percent.

The briefing slides put these three groups’ contributions to the acceleration at 45.7 percent, 18.8 percent, and 13.2 percent, respectively.

Ranked by share of the uptrend, restaurants and accommodation services came first at 37.1 percent, followed by housing and utilities at 30.0 percent and food at 26.5 percent.

Inflation for Bacolod’s bottom 30 percent went from 0.4 percent in January and -0.5 percent in February to 1.9 percent in March. It then rose to a revised 5.2 percent in April, 7.2 percent in May, and 7.8 percent in June.

For the province’s bottom 30 percent income households, inflation held at 4.4 percent in August, the same as in July. A year earlier, the rate was -0.9 percent.

The steady rate came mainly from restaurants and accommodation services, which stayed at 8.3 percent and accounted for 14.7 percent of the province’s inflation for this group.

For the province’s poorest households, the top contributor was housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, which rose to 5.6 percent from 2.9 percent.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages came next, slowing to 2.1 percent from 3.0 percent. Health followed, unchanged at 11.0 percent.

Monthly inflation for the province’s bottom 30 percent this year was 0.1 percent in January, -0.1 percent in February, -1.4 percent in March, 2.2 percent in April, 3.4 percent in May, and 3.0 percent in June.

Nationwide, inflation for the bottom 30 percent was 8.2 percent in August, unchanged from July, compared with -0.6 percent in August 2025. The NIR rate for the group held at 5.6 percent, up from -1.1 percent a year earlier.

Average inflation for the bottom 30 percent from January to August was 6.2 percent nationwide, 3.2 percent in the NIR, and 2.0 percent in Negros Occidental. For Bacolod, the release says 4.8 percent and the briefing slides say 4.9 percent.

The PSA said a lower but still positive inflation rate means prices are still rising, just more slowly than the month before. It does not mean prices have dropped.