Guimaras inflation jumps to 4.4% in April

By Philippine Statistics Authority-Guimaras

GUIMARAS — The headline inflation rate in Guimaras accelerated to 4.4% in April 2026 from 1.6% in March 2026, while the province’s average inflation from January to April 2026 settled at 1.4%.

The latest price statistics from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the province’s April 2026 inflation rate remained lower than the national and Western Visayas rates during the same period.

“Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Transport, and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels were identified as the main sources of the acceleration in April 2026 inflation,” Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.

Food and nonalcoholic beverages posted a 1.1% inflation rate and contributed 57.9% to the uptrend.

Transport recorded a 31.2% inflation rate and accounted for a 32.5% share of the uptrend.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels registered a 3.3% inflation rate and accounted for 5.2% of the increase in inflation.

Within the food and nonalcoholic beverages commodity group, cereals and cereal products, particularly rice, registered a 4.3% inflation rate and contributed 92.5% to the commodity group’s inflation.

“This was followed by fruits and nuts which posted a 3.3 percent inflation rate and contributed 4.0 percent, while non-alcoholic beverages, particularly soft drinks, recorded a 3.1 percent inflation rate and contributed 2.3 percent,” Losare said.

In terms of contribution to overall inflation, transport remained the top contributor in April 2026, accounting for a 54.3% share of total inflation.

“This was mainly due to the faster price change of Gasoline with 53.6 percent inflation rate and contributed 20.1 percent or 0.88 percentage point to the overall inflation, followed by passenger transport by sea and inland waterways registered a 152.4 percent inflation rate and contributed 19.9 percent or 0.87 percentage point, and diesel which contributed 9.5 percent or 0.42 percentage point after posting a 101.7 percent inflation rate,” Losare said.

Food and nonalcoholic beverages ranked second among the major contributors to overall inflation, with a 12.2% share.

“This was primarily pushed by the rapid price change of cereals and cereal products, particularly rice, which contributed 14.0 percent or 0.62 percentage points to the overall inflation after recording a 4.3 percent inflation rate,” Losare said.

Among the 13 major commodity groups, seven recorded faster inflation in April 2026.

Alcoholic beverages and tobacco increased to 4.7% from 3.2% in March 2026.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels rose to 3.3% from 2.4%.

Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance increased to 1.6% from 1.4%.

Transport accelerated to 31.2% from 18.2%.

Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services climbed to 4.3% from 2.9%.

Food and nonalcoholic beverages moved to 1.1% from negative 2.0%.

Recreation, sports, and culture recorded negative 1.1% from negative 2.0% in March 2026.

“Meanwhile, lower inflation rates were recorded in Clothing and Footwear at 3.3 percent from 3.6 percent, Health at 5.8 percent from 7.5 percent, and Restaurant and Accommodation Services at 3.8 percent from 6.3 percent,” Losare said.

“Information and Communication retained its 1.8 percent inflation rate, Financial Services remained at 0.0 percent, while Education Services stayed at negative 0.8 percent during the month,” Losare added.

“The CPI serves as the primary indicator used in computing the inflation rate, as it tracks movements in the prices of a fixed basket of goods and services typically consumed by households,” Losare explained.

She said this means a typical Guimarasnon household would need PHP 1,382 in April 2026 to buy the same basket of goods and services that cost PHP 1,000 in 2018, the base year used in computing the consumer price index.

The purchasing power of the peso in Guimaras declined slightly to PHP 0.72 in April 2026 from PHP 0.74 in the previous two months, indicating a gradual weakening in the peso’s purchasing capacity.

“Overall, while inflation remained relatively manageable in the first quarter, the sharp increase in April confirms that the price pressures emerging in March have intensified as the province enters the second quarter,” Losare said.

Inflation measures the rate of increase in the prices of goods and services, while the consumer price index tracks changes in the cost of a fixed basket commonly purchased by households.

A lower purchasing power of the peso means consumers can buy fewer goods and services with the same amount of money.