Guimaras inflation stays negative in August 2025

Guimaras recorded a -0.2 percent inflation rate in August 2025, marking its second consecutive month of deflation and a slight rise from -0.5 percent in July, bringing the province’s average inflation from January to August to 0.6 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)–Guimaras.

“The August 2025 inflation was higher by 0.3 percentage points compared to July’s -0.5 percent but significantly lower than the 5.5 percent recorded in the same month last year,” said Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare.

The uptrend was primarily driven by a faster annual contraction in food and non-alcoholic beverages at -2.3 percent from -3.2 percent in July, attributed to the rising prices of vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses, which posted a 3.9 percent inflation in August compared to -8.9 percent in July, particularly pumpkins, squash, and gourds, fresh or chilled.

Fish and other seafood followed with a 3.6 percent inflation in August, reversing from -0.3 percent in July, specifically for live, fresh, chilled, or frozen fish.

“Transport also rebounded to 2.9 percent in August from -1.8 percent in July, pushed up by passenger transport services, which rose to 8.7 percent from 3.5 percent, particularly passenger transport by sea and inland waterway,” Losare said.

“Health climbed to 4.1 percent in August from 1.0 percent in July, supported by medicines and health products, which posted 4.8 percent inflation from 0.5 percent in the previous month, reflecting higher prices of medicines, vaccines, and other pharmaceutical preparations,” Losare added.

Other commodity groups with upward movements included alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 7.9 percent from 7.7 percent; furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance at 0.2 percent from 0.0 percent; and recreation, sport, and culture at 0.8 percent from 0.1 percent.

Meanwhile, slower inflation was recorded in clothing and footwear at 2.0 percent from 2.6 percent; housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, which sharply contracted to -2.4 percent from 1.2 percent; and information and communication, which declined to 0.9 percent from 2.9 percent.

Some commodity groups retained their July rates, including education services at -0.8 percent; restaurants and accommodation services at 10.4 percent; financial services at 0.0 percent; and personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 1.4 percent.

The top three contributors to overall inflation in August 2025 were food and non-alcoholic beverages with 2.08 percentage points, housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels with 0.60 percentage points, and education services with 0.02 percentage points.

Regionwide, Western Visayas posted a -0.3 percent inflation in August 2025, reversing from 0.6 percent in July and 5.0 percent in August 2024, with most provinces registering negative rates.

Only Iloilo Province at 0.2 percent and Iloilo City at 1.7 percent recorded positive inflation, while Guimaras’ -0.2 percent rate was slightly above the regional average and more stable compared to Antique at -3.2 percent and Aklan at -1.4 percent.

“The inflation rate is the rate of change in the CPI derived by computing the indices relative to the same period in the previous year or month, and currently, Guimaras posted a 133.0 CPI, meaning a typical Guimarasnon household needs PHP 1,330.00 in August 2025 to purchase a basket of goods and services worth PHP 1,000.00 in 2018,” Losare clarified.

“The purchasing power of the peso (PPP) in Guimaras stood at PHP 0.75 in August 2025, down from PHP 0.76 in July, meaning a peso in 2018 is now worth only 75 centavos,” Losare added.