Guimaras May 2025 Inflation for Poor Households Hits 0.4%

Inflation for low-income households in Guimaras climbed to 0.4% in May 2025, ending a months-long decline, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The rate had eased to 0.2% in April and 0.7% in March, falling from a high of 8.8% in May 2024.

The average inflation for the first five months of 2025 stood at 1.0%.

Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said the increase was mainly driven by rising year-on-year prices in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which rose to 4.4% in May from 1.3% in April.

She also cited faster inflation in personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, which rose to 1.4% from 1.0%, and in health, which climbed to 3.1% from 2.7%.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels accounted for 91.7% of the overall inflation increase in May.

Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services contributed 2.9%, while health added 1.8%.

From April to May, key price drivers included electricity, gas and other fuels, which jumped to 11.3% from 3.4%, personal care at 1.4% from 1.0%, and medicines and health products at 3.1% from 2.7%.

Faster annual price increases were also noted in restaurants and accommodation services at 10.5% from 10.3%, transport at 0.9% from 0.8%, and recreation, sport and culture at 0.2% from -0.1%.

Three commodity groups showed slower inflation in May than in April: food and nonalcoholic beverages at -2.0% from -1.8%, alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 9.9% from 10.2%, and information and communication at 4.8% from 5.5%.

Inflation rates for clothing and footwear (1.3%), furnishings and household maintenance (0.2%), education services (0.0%), and financial services (0.0%) remained unchanged from the previous month.

Alcoholic beverages and tobacco had the largest contribution to the province’s May inflation, accounting for 134.9% of the total or 0.54 percentage points, driven by a 9.7% price hike in cigarettes.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels followed with a 105.5% share or 0.42 percentage points, led by a 14.8% rise in electricity prices from various sources.

Restaurants and accommodation services contributed 92.4% or 0.37 percentage points, mainly due to full-service restaurants, cafés and similar establishments, which posted a 10.6% inflation rate.

Over the past 13 months, inflation among low-income households in Western Visayas has fluctuated significantly.

Despite the uptick in May, Guimaras still had one of the region’s lowest inflation rates, with Aklan and Antique in deflation at -2.4% and -2.5%, while Capiz and Iloilo posted 1.3% and 1.5%, respectively.

Losare explained that inflation reflects the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), with Guimaras posting a CPI of 134.6 in May 2025.

This means a low-income Guimaras resident needs PHP1,346 in May 2025 to buy a basket of goods and services that cost PHP1,000 in 2018.