Negros Inflation Slows, Bacolod Prices Drop for Poorest Households

BACOLOD CITY — Inflation experienced by the poorest households in Negros Occidental slowed significantly in June 2025, while Bacolod City saw prices decrease, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The inflation rate for the bottom 30% income households in Negros Occidental decelerated to 0.5 percent in June from 2.1 percent in May 2025.

This figure represents a substantial drop from the 5.2 percent inflation recorded in June 2024.

In a more dramatic shift, Bacolod City registered negative inflation, or deflation, at -0.4 percent for the same income group.

This marked a reversal from the 2.0 percent inflation in May 2025 and a steep fall from the 6.8 percent inflation in June of the previous year.

For these families, deflation means that the average prices of goods and services they commonly purchase were lower than they were in June 2024.

In Negros Occidental, the slowdown was primarily influenced by lower inflation in alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which dropped to 8.0 percent from 8.3 percent, and clothing and footwear, which fell to 3.7 percent from 4.7 percent.

The biggest contributors to pulling down the overall provincial rate were the price decreases in the heavily-weighted Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages group (-0.4 percent inflation) and the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels category (-0.9 percent inflation).

In Bacolod City, the main drivers of deceleration were falling prices in Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels (-5.0 percent inflation) and Transport (-1.0 percent inflation).

Maria Santos, a mother of three and a market vendor, said she has noticed some price changes.

“Nakita gid namon nga nagbarato ang bugas kag iban nga palaligban, pero gamay lang,” Santos said in an interview. (We really saw that rice and other staples became a bit cheaper, but only by a little.)

“Ang PHP100 namon subong daw parehas man lang gihapon, madasig maubos,” she added. (Our PHP 100 today feels just the same, it gets used up so fast.)

The PSA calculates this specific Consumer Price Index (CPI) using a separate market basket and weights to reflect the purchasing patterns of families in the bottom 30% income group.