Inflation Slows Down for Poorest Households in NegOcc, Bacolod

BACOLOD CITY — Poor families in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City saw a slowdown in the rise of basic goods and services in April 2025, offering some relief amid ongoing economic challenges, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA reported that inflation for the bottom 30% income households—or the poorest three out of every 10 families—dropped to 2.0% in Negros Occidental and 1.8% in Bacolod City in April.

These figures are down from 3.2% in both areas just a month earlier, and significantly lower than April 2024 levels.

These households are those that earn the least and typically spend most of their income on essential goods like food, utilities, and basic services.

The PSA tracks a separate set of price changes for them because their spending patterns differ from those of middle- and higher-income families.

A lower inflation rate means prices are still going up, but at a slower pace compared to previous months—not that prices have fallen.

In Negros Occidental, the biggest reason for the slower inflation was the drop in price increases of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which posted a 1.4% inflation rate in April, down from 2.8% in March. This category made up 58% of the overall slowdown, highlighting its importance in poor households’ daily expenses.

Other key contributors to the easing inflation were:

-Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, with inflation dropping from 4.1% in March to 2.1% in April (20.4% share), and

-Restaurants and accommodation services, which fell from 5.6% to 2.4% (17.1% share).

In Bacolod City, similar trends were observed. The cost of food and beverages rose by just 0.5%, compared to 1.7% in March, contributing over 41% to the easing inflation.

The cost of housing and utilities also saw a significant slowdown, with inflation falling to 1.3% from 5.2%, accounting for nearly 46% of the drop in overall inflation.

Meanwhile, restaurant and accommodation services inflation stood at 6.2%, slightly lower than 7.2% in March.

However, alcoholic beverages and tobacco remained high in both areas—9.3% in Negros Occidental and 8.5% in Bacolod—but their impact was smaller on overall inflation due to lower spending by poor households on these items.

The PSA’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) tracks how much prices of common goods and services change over time. For poor households, a separate CPI is used, based on a “market basket” of items they usually buy, to better reflect their cost of living.

The agency emphasized that even with a lower inflation rate, the cost of living continues to rise, though at a slower rate.