Guimaras low-income inflation steady in March

Inflation for low-income households in Guimaras stayed at 0.0 percent in March 2026, reflecting stable overall price movements despite higher costs in key sectors such as transport and housing-related utilities.

The bottom 30 percent income group refers to lower-income households that are especially sensitive to changes in food, fuel and utility costs, making the indicator a key measure of inflation’s effect on more vulnerable consumers.

The March 2026 rate rebounded from negative 1.0 percent in February 2026, bringing the province’s year-to-date inflation for the bottom 30 percent of income households to negative 1.1 percent.

“In comparison, inflation was higher at 0.7 percent in March 2025, indicating a general easing of price pressures over the past year,” Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.

The March outcome reflected mixed price movements across commodity groups, with lower food prices offsetting faster increases in transport and other sectors.

The food and non-alcoholic beverages index, which carries the largest weight in the consumption basket of low-income households, remained in decline at negative 3.2 percent, although the drop was slower than the negative 4.3 percent recorded in February 2026.

“Within the group, cereals and cereal products posted a substantial share of 36.5 percent, with rice contributing 35.7 percent to the overall inflation trend,” Losare said.

“Despite remaining in negative territory at -3.2 percent, the food group’s high weight in the consumption basket of low-income households made it the primary driver influencing the province’s inflation outcome during the month,” Losare added.

Transport posted the sharpest increase, surging 16.0 percent in March 2026 from 4.8 percent a month earlier.

“This was primarily driven by the operation of personal transport equipment, which registered a 34.2 percent share, largely influenced by higher prices of fuels and lubricants, particularly gasoline,” Losare said.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels recorded a faster annual increase of 2.6 percent, up from 1.3 percent in February 2026, adding to upward price pressures during the month.

“The group’s inflation accelerated to 2.6 percent from 1.3 percent in February 2026, driven mainly by higher costs in electricity and other housing-related utilities, which added to the upward pressure on prices during the month,” Losare said.

Additional increases were observed in health at 4.5 percent, personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 5.7 percent, and clothing and footwear at 1.7 percent.

Three commodity groups posted slower inflation in March 2026: alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 1.6 percent from 6.6 percent, recreation, sport and culture at 0.6 percent from 0.7 percent, and restaurants and accommodation services at 6.3 percent from 14.6 percent.

Meanwhile, furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 2.0 percent, information and communication at 2.4 percent, education services at 0.8 percent, and financial services at 0.0 percent retained their February 2026 annual rates.

Transport emerged as the main source of upward pressure in March, even with its relatively smaller weight in the basket.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels also contributed significantly because of their 11.82 percent weight and faster 2.6 percent inflation rate.

Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, along with health, also added to the upward trend after posting inflation rates of 5.7 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

These increases were largely offset by the continued decline in food and non-alcoholic beverages, which remained the biggest overall contributor because of its 62.06 percent weight in the basket.

The food group’s negative 3.2 percent inflation tempered the impact of higher prices in other sectors.

Restaurants and accommodation services, as well as alcoholic beverages and tobacco, also showed slower price increases, indicating easing pressures in those commodity groups.

Overall, the combined effect of lower food prices and higher costs in transport and other sectors kept Guimaras inflation for low-income households unchanged at 0.0 percent in March 2026.

Losare also highlighted that inflation is derived from the Consumer Price Index, which measures changes in the average prices of goods and services commonly purchased by households over time.

In March 2026, the CPI for low-income households in Guimaras stood at 135.1.

“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 added that a typical low-income Guimarasnon would need PHP 1,351 in March 2026 to buy the same basket of goods and services that cost PHP 1,000 in 2018, the base year used in computing the CPI.