Iloilo inflation climbs to 9.7% in August, city hits 7.6%

ILOILO CITY – Headline inflation in Iloilo province rose to 9.7 percent in August 2026 from 9.3 percent in July, while Iloilo City posted 7.6 percent, up from 7.2 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Iloilo Provincial Statistical Office reported on Sept. 10.

Both figures were far above the year-earlier rates of 0.2 percent in the province and 1.7 percent in the city, according to the PSA special releases, which use 2018 as the base year for the consumer price index.

Core inflation in the province, which excludes volatile food and energy items, eased to 6.3 percent from 6.8 percent in July but stayed above the 4.7 percent posted in August 2025.

The province’s year-to-date inflation rate stood at 6.4 percent, while core inflation averaged 6.0 percent.

In Western Visayas, headline inflation increased to 8.4 percent from 7.8 percent in July and reversed the -0.3 percent recorded in August 2025, with a year-to-date rate of 5.6 percent.

At the national level, headline inflation eased slightly to 6.1 percent from 6.2 percent in July but remained above the 1.5 percent posted a year earlier, with a year-to-date average of 5.2 percent.

The city’s rate was lower than the regional figure of 8.4 percent but higher than the national rate of 6.1 percent.

The city’s year-to-date inflation rate stood at 5.3 percent, slightly higher than the national rate of 5.2 percent but lower than the regional rate of 5.6 percent.

Core inflation in the city slowed to 3.3 percent from 3.8 percent in July and from 4.3 percent in August 2025, with a year-to-date average of 3.3 percent.

Provincial drivers

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels contributed the largest share to the province’s inflation trend at 36.4 percent, as its inflation rate increased to 10.8 percent from 9.6 percent.

Transport followed with a 26.6 percent share of the trend, with its inflation rate rising to 18.9 percent from 17.2 percent.

Health accounted for 25.1 percent of the provincial trend, as its inflation rate nearly doubled to 7.5 percent from 3.8 percent.

Higher annual inflation rates were also recorded in furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance, which rose to 8.1 percent from 6.1 percent, and in clothing and footwear, which inched up to 3.4 percent from 3.3 percent.

Slower annual inflation was noted in restaurants and accommodation services, which eased to 31.0 percent from 35.0 percent; alcoholic beverages and tobacco, down to 8.1 percent from 8.7 percent; recreation, sport, and culture, which declined to 7.6 percent from 8.5 percent; personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, down to 2.9 percent from 3.7 percent; and information and communication, which slipped to 0.3 percent from 0.4 percent.

Inflation rates for food and non-alcoholic beverages at 7.3 percent, education services at 16.9 percent, and financial services at 0.0 percent were unchanged from July.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages remained the biggest contributor to the province’s headline inflation with a 32.8 percent share, followed by transport at 19.8 percent and housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 18.2 percent.

Restaurants and accommodation services contributed 12.1 percent to provincial headline inflation, while education services accounted for 3.7 percent, alcoholic beverages and tobacco for 3.3 percent, and health and furnishings for 3.2 percent each.

Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services contributed 1.5 percent, clothing and footwear 1.3 percent, recreation, sport, and culture 0.9 percent, information and communication 0.1 percent, and financial services 0.0 percent.

City drivers

In Iloilo City, food and non-alcoholic beverages was the biggest driver of the uptrend, with inflation accelerating to 6.6 percent from 5.4 percent and accounting for 77.6 percent of the inflation trend.

This was followed by housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, which rose to 10.6 percent from 10.3 percent and accounted for 14.1 percent of the trend, and health, which increased to 9.0 percent from 8.2 percent with a 4.9 percent share.

Other city commodity groups with faster annual increases were clothing and footwear, up to 3.1 percent from 2.9 percent; furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance, up to 10.0 percent from 9.9 percent; and information and communication, up to 2.6 percent from 2.4 percent, with the first and third each holding a 1.4 percent share of the trend and furnishings 0.6 percent.

Slower annual inflation in the city was observed in alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which eased to 9.4 percent from 9.8 percent; transport, which moderated to 11.7 percent from 12.3 percent; restaurants and accommodation services, which registered a deeper deflation of -3.3 percent from -1.7 percent; and personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, which eased to 5.8 percent from 6.3 percent.

The city’s inflation rates for recreation, sport, and culture at 14.9 percent, education services at 6.6 percent, and financial services at 0.0 percent were unchanged between July and August.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels was the top contributor to the city’s headline inflation with a 36.0 percent share, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages at 29.9 percent and transport at 14.8 percent.

Furnishings contributed 5.2 percent to city headline inflation, alcoholic beverages and tobacco and health 3.7 percent each, personal care 3.1 percent, education services 2.6 percent, recreation 1.5 percent, clothing and footwear 1.3 percent, information and communication 1.0 percent, and financial services 0.0 percent, while restaurants and accommodation services pulled inflation down by 2.9 percent.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages carries the largest weight in the consumer basket at 43.2687 percent in the province and 34.7972 percent in the city, followed by housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 18.8623 percent and 25.2849 percent, respectively, and transport at 9.7364 percent and 8.5183 percent.

Provincial food inflation

Food inflation in the province rose slightly to 7.6 percent from 7.4 percent in July and was significantly higher than the -2.9 percent recorded in August 2025.

The provincial uptrend in food inflation was driven primarily by cereals and cereal products, whose inflation rate jumped to 25.3 percent from 17.8 percent, accounting for 92.9 percent of the food inflation trend.

Within this group, rice inflation in the province surged to 31.7 percent from 21.7 percent in July, a reversal from the -16.9 percent recorded in August 2025.

Meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals also contributed to the provincial uptrend, with its inflation rate rising to -3.7 percent from -5.0 percent and accounting for 5.5 percent of the food inflation trend, while ready-made food and other food products rose to 3.7 percent from 2.5 percent with a 1.6 percent share.

Lower inflation rates in the province were recorded in fish and other seafood, which declined to 1.7 percent from 6.8 percent; oils and fats, which eased to 17.5 percent from 18.0 percent; fruits and nuts, which fell to 1.9 percent from 7.2 percent; vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses, which dropped to -7.3 percent from 3.0 percent; and sugar, confectionery, and desserts, which shifted to 0.1 percent deflation from 1.2 percent inflation.

Milk, other dairy products, and eggs remained unchanged at 1.7 percent in the province.

Cereals and cereal products held a 105.3 percent share of the province’s August food inflation, with rice alone accounting for 98.2 percent, followed by fish and other seafood at 4.3 percent and oils and fats at 3.2 percent.

Ready-made food contributed 2.3 percent, fruits and nuts 1.3 percent, and milk, dairy, and eggs 1.7 percent, while meat pulled provincial food inflation down by 7.9 percent, vegetables by 10.3 percent, and sugar by 0.1 percent.

City food inflation

In Iloilo City, food inflation increased to 7.6 percent from 6.1 percent in July and was higher than the 0.6 percent recorded in August 2025.

Cereals and cereal products drove the city’s food inflation uptrend, with inflation accelerating to 23.0 percent from 15.5 percent and accounting for 79.7 percent of the trend.

Rice inflation in the city climbed to 30.2 percent from 19.0 percent, compared with -11.8 percent in August 2025.

Fish and other seafood followed with a 10.3 percent share of the city’s food inflation trend, as its inflation rate increased to 8.2 percent from 6.3 percent, while meat held a 9.6 percent share as its annual decline eased to -4.5 percent from -6.1 percent.

Higher annual inflation in the city was also recorded in oils and fats, up to 23.7 percent from 23.3 percent, and sugar, confectionery, and desserts, up to 4.0 percent from 3.8 percent, each contributing 0.2 percent to the trend.

Slower annual increases were seen in milk, other dairy products, and eggs, which eased to 2.2 percent from 2.3 percent; fruits and nuts, which moderated to 2.7 percent from 6.3 percent; vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses, which declined to -1.3 percent from 9.9 percent; and ready-made food and other food products, which eased to 2.9 percent from 3.5 percent.

Cereals and cereal products accounted for 82.0 percent of the city’s August food inflation, with rice contributing 72.0 percent, followed by fish and other seafood at 20.1 percent and oils and fats at 4.7 percent.

Milk, dairy, and eggs contributed 2.5 percent, fruits and nuts and ready-made food 1.7 percent each, and sugar 1.5 percent, while meat subtracted 12.9 percent and vegetables 1.4 percent from the city’s food inflation.