Guimaras inflation hits 4.4% in April, fueled by transport

Guimaras Province posted a headline inflation rate of 4.4 percent in April 2026, the highest in 13 months, as sharper price increases in transport, food, and utilities pushed up the cost of living, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.

The April figure climbed from 1.6 percent in March 2026 and marked a steep jump from the 0.5 percent recorded in April 2025, bringing the province’s year-to-date inflation to 1.4 percent.

National and regional inflation rates moved even faster, with the Philippines posting 7.2 percent and Western Visayas at 6.6 percent in April 2026.

PSA data showed transport drove the uptrend, with its annual price change accelerating to 31.2 percent in April from 18.2 percent in March 2026.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages also flipped to 1.1 percent in April from minus 2.1 percent the previous month, while housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels rose to 3.3 percent from 2.4 percent.

Faster annual increases were also recorded in personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 4.3 percent from 2.9 percent, alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 4.7 percent from 3.2 percent, and furnishings and household maintenance at 1.6 percent from 1.4 percent.

Recreation, sport, and culture eased its decline to minus 1.1 percent from minus 2.0 percent.

Three commodity groups slowed in April: clothing and footwear at 3.3 percent from 3.6 percent, health at 5.8 percent from 7.5 percent, and restaurants and accommodation services at 3.8 percent from 6.3 percent.

Information and communication held at 1.8 percent, education services at minus 0.8 percent, and financial services at 0.0 percent.

Transport contributed the largest share to the province’s overall inflation at 54.3 percent, or 2.39 percentage points.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages followed at 12.2 percent, or 0.54 percentage point, while housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels added 10.5 percent, or 0.46 percentage point.

Across Western Visayas, Aklan and Antique posted the region’s highest inflation rates at 7.8 percent in April 2026.

Iloilo Province followed at 7.4 percent, Iloilo City at 6.0 percent, Capiz at 4.0 percent, and Guimaras at 4.4 percent.

Western Visayas inflation has climbed steadily from 2.3 percent in January, 3.0 percent in February, and 3.5 percent in March 2026, indicating sustained price pressures across the region in the first four months of the year.

Guimaras had earlier recorded six consecutive months of negative inflation from July to December 2025, with rates ranging from minus 0.5 percent to minus 1.3 percent.

Antique posted the region’s lowest rate during that stretch at minus 3.2 percent in August 2025.

The Purchasing Power of the Peso (PPP) in Guimaras slipped to PHP 0.72 in April 2026, meaning PHP 1.00 in 2018 is now worth only 72 centavos in the province.

The April reading was down from PHP 0.74 in March, PHP 0.75 in both January and February 2026, PHP 0.76 in December 2025, and PHP 0.77 in November 2025.

From April to December 2025, the PPP in Guimaras ranged from PHP 0.75 to PHP 0.77.