Guimaras Inflation Eases to 2.7% in January

The inflation rate in Guimaras slowed to 2.7% in January 2025, down from 2.8% in December 2024 and significantly lower than the 4.6% recorded in January 2024, according to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare attributed the slowdown to the decelerating price increases in food and non-alcoholic beverages, which recorded a 4.2% inflation rate in January, down from 4.6% in December.

“The decline in the annual price change of health services, which dropped to -0.4% from 2.7% in the previous month, and in recreation, sport, and culture, which fell to 4.1% from 5.7%, also contributed to the lower overall inflation,” Losare said.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 65.3% of the decline in January inflation, while health services and recreation, sport, and culture contributed 29.4% and 2.9%, respectively.

“The slower inflation in food and non-alcoholic beverages was mainly driven by the significant drop in price movements for vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses, particularly pumpkins, squash, and gourds, which saw inflation slow to 0.8% from 20.3%,” Losare explained.

Health services were affected by lower price increases in inpatient care, particularly curative and rehabilitative services, which recorded a 4.4% inflation rate, down from 12.3%. Meanwhile, recreation, sport, and culture saw slower inflation due to declining prices in newspapers, books, and stationery, specifically stationery and drawing materials, which had a 4.6% inflation rate, down from 6.5%.

Other commodity groups also recorded slower inflation in January. Clothing and footwear dropped to 0.3% from 2.4%, while furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance declined to -0.5% from -0.3%.

In contrast, some categories recorded higher inflation compared to December 2024:

• Alcoholic beverages and tobacco: 4.6% (up from 1.5%)
• Transport: 2.4% (up from 2.1%)
• Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services: 1.7% (up from 1.5%)

Table 2. Year-on-Year Changes of the Consumer Price Index in Percent in Guimaras by

Commodity Group, January 2024 – January 2025 (2018=100)

Meanwhile, five commodity groups retained their previous month’s inflation rates:

• Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels: 2.6%
• Information and communication: 3.3%
• Education services: 0.0%
• Restaurants and accommodation services: -5.7%
• Financial services: 0.0%

The overall inflation rate in Guimaras was primarily influenced by three major commodity groups.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed the most, accounting for 75.4% of the province’s inflation rate, equivalent to 2.04 percentage points. The slowdown was largely due to a 16.0% decrease in rice prices.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels accounted for 14.8% of the inflation rate, or 0.40 percentage points, with electricity prices—across coal, solar, and hydro sources—registering a 7.8% inflation rate.

Transportation contributed 6.0%, or 0.16 percentage points, to overall inflation, with a significant 42.4% increase in passenger transport by sea and inland waterway.

Core inflation, which excludes selected food and energy items, eased to 1.5% in January 2025 from 1.7% in December 2024. It was significantly higher in January 2024 at 4.1%.

Inflation in Western Visayas continued to decline, with Guimaras posting a 2.7% rate in January, slightly lower than its 2.8% in December. The province’s inflation was higher than Antique and Capiz, both at 2.3%, but lower than Iloilo, which recorded the region’s highest rate at 5.4%.

Aklan matched Antique and Capiz at 2.3%, while Negros Occidental registered the same rate as Guimaras at 2.7%. The region’s inflation slowdown indicates stabilizing prices for essential goods and services after volatility in 2024.

Guimaras, which saw one of the highest inflation peaks in the region at 7.2% in March 2024, has now aligned more closely with the regional trend of price stabilization.

“The inflation rate is determined by computing the Consumer Price Index (CPI) relative to the same period in the previous year or month,” Losare explained.

Guimaras recorded a CPI of 134.6 in January 2025, meaning a typical household in the province needed PHP 1,346 to purchase the same basket of goods and services that cost PHP 1,000 in 2018.

“The purchasing power of the peso (PPP) in Guimaras dropped to 0.74 in January 2025, down from 0.75 in December 2024,” Losare said.

This means that PHP 1 in 2018 is now equivalent to PHP 0.74, reflecting a slight devaluation from January 2024’s PPP of 0.76.