Guimaras Inflation for Low-Income Households Drops to 0.2%

Inflation for Guimaras’ bottom 30 percent income households eased to 0.2 percent in April 2025, continuing its decline from 0.7 percent in March and a sharp drop from 8.6 percent in April 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The average inflation rate for this group now stands at 1.6 percent.

“The slow inflation in April 2025 for low-income households was mainly driven by year-on-year price declines in the heavily weighted food and nonalcoholic beverages category, which registered -1.8 percent from 0.0 percent in March,” said Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare.

She added that inflation also slowed for furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 0.2 percent from 1.2 percent, and for personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 1.0 percent from 1.6 percent.

Food and nonalcoholic beverages contributed 95.1 percent to the overall downtrend in April inflation.

Furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance contributed 2.1 percent, while personal care and miscellaneous goods and services accounted for 1.5 percent.

“From March to April 2025, the decline was largely influenced by slower price movement in rice, which saw -11.0 percent inflation from -4.6 percent; non-durable household goods at 0.7 percent from 1.8 percent; and personal care items at 1.7 percent from 2.5 percent,” Losare said.

Lower annual inflation rates were also observed in recreation, sport and culture at -0.1 percent from 1.2 percent, and clothing and footwear at 1.3 percent from 1.5 percent.

In contrast, four commodity groups posted faster inflation in April:

1. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 10.2 percent from 10.1 percent
2. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, 1.3 percent from 0.6 percent
3. Transport, 0.8 percent from -0.1 percent
4. Restaurants and accommodation services, 10.3 percent from -3.2 percent

Meanwhile, health (2.7 percent), information and communication (5.5 percent), education services (0.0 percent), and financial services (0.0 percent) maintained their previous month’s annual rates.

In April, inflation for low-income households in Guimaras was primarily influenced by alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which contributed 257.5 percent to the province’s overall inflation rate, or 0.41 percentage points, driven by a 9.7 percent price increase in cigarettes.

Restaurants and accommodation services followed, contributing 164.4 percent or 0.33 percentage points, led by full-service restaurants with a 10.3 percent inflation rate.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels contributed 57.5 percent or 0.12 percentage points, due to a 0.9 percent rise in electricity prices from all sources.

Over the past 13 months, inflation for low-income households across Western Visayas declined, with Guimaras showing the most consistent easing—from a high of 8.8 percent in May 2024 to 0.2 percent in April 2025.

While Aklan and Antique recorded sharp declines, even entering negative inflation in April, provinces like Capiz and Iloilo showed more gradual reductions.

“The inflation rate reflects the change in the Consumer Price Index compared to the same period in the previous year or month,” Losare explained.

She said Guimaras posted a 133.6 CPI in April 2025, meaning a low-income household would need PHP1,336 to buy a basket of goods worth PHP1,000 in 2018.