Guimaras inflation hits 4.4% as transport costs bite

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Rising fuel prices and higher sea transport fares pushed inflation in Guimaras to 4.4 percent in April 2026, the highest recorded in the province since October 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The figure rose from 1.6 percent in March and 0.5 percent in April 2025, although it remained below the regional inflation rate of 6.6 percent and the national rate of 7.2 percent.

Inflation measures the rate of increase in the prices of goods and services commonly purchased by households.

Transport emerged as the top contributor to Guimaras’ overall inflation, accounting for 54.3 percent, or 2.39 percentage points, of the province’s 4.4 percent headline inflation.

Food and nonalcoholic beverages followed with a 12.2 percent share, or 0.54 percentage point, while housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels accounted for 10.5 percent, or 0.46 percentage point.

PSA data also showed that the faster inflation trend in April was driven mainly by the reversal of food and nonalcoholic beverages to 1.1 percent growth from negative 2.1 percent in March.

Transport inflation accelerated to 31.2 percent in April from 18.2 percent in March, while housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels rose to 3.3 percent from 2.4 percent.

Global oil price volatility linked to tensions in the Middle East has driven fuel costs higher in recent months, resulting in increased transport fares and higher commodity prices across the country.

“The spike in transport and fuel costs had a ripple effect on the province’s overall prices because Guimaras as an island, it depends heavily on fuel and sea transport for the movement of people, goods, and services,” PSA-Guimaras Chief Statistical Specialist Nelida Losare explained during a press conference Tuesday, May 12.

She said transportation services, fishing, agriculture, retail trade, and logistics were among the sectors most affected as rising fuel prices increased operating and delivery costs.

Despite the sharp increase, Losare said it is still too early to determine whether the April surge is temporary or a sign of continued upward price movements in the coming months.

“We cannot yet determine whether the spike is temporary as this still depends on fuel prices, transport costs, and food supply, but we will continue to monitor the trend,” Losare said.

Meanwhile, the purchasing power of the peso in the province declined further to PHP 0.72 in April from PHP 0.74 in March, indicating that PHP 1 worth of goods in 2018 can now buy only PHP 0.72 worth of products and services.

Losare explained that inflation directly weakens consumers’ purchasing power because rising prices reduce the amount of goods and services households can afford.

The province’s April inflation rate also marked a continued reversal from the deflation recorded in the latter half of 2025, when Guimaras experienced six consecutive months of negative inflation from July to December.

Losare encouraged households to support locally produced goods and prioritize essential spending to help lessen the impact of rising prices.

She also urged residents to plant vegetables for household consumption and reduce dependence on imported products from other provinces, which add hauling and transport costs to market prices.

While April’s 4.4 percent inflation was the highest since October 2024, PSA records showed that the province’s highest inflation in recent years remained the 9 percent rate posted in February 2023, driven largely by surging food prices and elevated fuel and electricity costs.