Guimaras low-income inflation rises to 5.9% in August

ILOILO CITY — Inflation among Guimaras households in the bottom 30% income group rose to 5.9% in August 2026 from 5.7% in July, an increase of 0.2 percentage point.

The August rate was 6.7 percentage points higher than the -0.8% recorded in August 2025, bringing average inflation from January through August 2026 to 2.8%.

“The increase in inflation among the Bottom 30% Income Households in August 2026 was mainly driven by faster annual increases in the indices of Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels, which rose to 4.3 percent from 1.9 percent in July; Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance, which increased to 3.5 percent from 3.1 percent; and Personal Care, and Miscellaneous Goods and Services, which accelerated to 8.8 percent from 8.6 percent,” Supervising Statistical Specialist Vicente G. Geonanga said.

Transport inflation also accelerated to 21% from 20.9%, while clothing and footwear inflation increased to 2.9% from 2.8%.

In contrast, inflation for food and nonalcoholic beverages slowed to 5% in August from 5.2% in July, while health inflation eased to 1% from 2.6%.

Despite the slowdown, food and nonalcoholic beverages remained the biggest contributor to inflation among households in the bottom 30% income group, accounting for 51.5%, or 3.04 percentage points, of the 5.9% headline rate.

Transport followed with a 21.6% share, or 1.28 percentage points, while alcoholic beverages and tobacco contributed 8.4%, or 0.49 percentage point.

The consumer price index for Guimaras households in the bottom 30% income group stood at 140.0 in August, with 2018 as the base year, meaning the fixed basket of goods and services cost about 40% more than it did in 2018.

The Philippine Statistics Authority compiles a separate CPI for households in the bottom 30% income group using a distinct market basket and expenditure weights to reflect the consumption patterns of lower-income families.

Among Western Visayas’ five provinces, Guimaras posted the second-lowest inflation rate for households in the bottom 30% income group at 5.9%, after Capiz at 3.5%.

Antique recorded 10.6%, Iloilo posted 13.2%, and Aklan registered the highest rate among the five provinces at 15.3%.

For additional context, inflation among households in the bottom 30% income group nationwide was 8.2% in August, while Western Visayas posted 10.7%, both higher than Guimaras’ rate. “The PSA – Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office continues to monitor consumer prices and generate timely statistics on inflation among the Bottom 30% Income Households to provide relevant information for policymakers, businesses, researchers, and the general public,” Geonanga said.