Negros Occidental, Bacolod City See Mixed Inflation Trends in March

BACOLOD CITY — Inflation in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City showed divergent patterns in March 2025, with overall rates rising in the province while a slight easing was recorded for low-income households in the city, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Negros Occidental recorded an inflation rate of 2.8%, up from 2.0% in February and 2.3% a year ago. In contrast, Bacolod City’s overall inflation for all income households inched up to 3.5%, compared to 3.3% in both February 2025 and March 2024.

For the bottom 30% income households, inflation in Negros Occidental surged to 3.2% in March from 1.7% in February. However, Bacolod City saw a modest decline for the same income group, with inflation easing to 3.2% from 3.4% a month earlier.

Key Drivers in Negros Occidental

The primary sources of inflation acceleration in Negros Occidental were:

• Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, which rose to 2.3% from 0.4%, contributing nearly 38% to the overall increase. Within this category, food prices alone grew 2.2%, up from just 0.1% in February.
• Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels, up to 4.0% from 3.1%, driven largely by utility costs, especially electricity and gas, which jumped to 7.2% from 5.3%.
• Restaurants and Accommodation Services, though still inflationary at 3.5%, showed a slowdown from 4.4%, slightly easing inflationary pressure.

Other commodities like alcoholic beverages, health, and clothing posted lower inflation rates, while sectors such as education and transport maintained steady rates.

Bacolod City Trends: Rising Costs, Mixed Signals

In Bacolod City, the inflation rate increase to 3.5% was largely driven by:

• Housing and Utilities, which surged to 4.6% from 1.5%, accounting for over 96% of the city’s inflation. Electricity and gas prices saw the sharpest spikes, jumping to 9.4% from 3.3%.
• Meanwhile, Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages declined to 2.0% from 2.9%, and Restaurant and Accommodation Services eased to 7.1% from 8.1%, helping to temper the overall rise.

Despite the increase, several categories, including clothing, furnishings, and transport, saw month-on-month declines.

Bottom 30% Income Households: Diverging Paths

Negros Occidental’s bottom 30% income households experienced a steep inflation increase to 3.2%, up from 1.7% in February. The bulk of the inflation came from:

• Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, which soared to 2.8% from 0.0%, contributing 90.2% to the rise.
• Housing and Utilities, which also increased to 4.1% from 2.9%.

In contrast, Bacolod City’s poorest households saw relief, as inflation dipped to 3.2% from 3.4%, primarily due to easing prices in food (1.7%, down from 3.0%) and restaurants (7.2%, down from 8.1%).

However, housing and utility costs climbed sharply to 5.2% from 1.7%, signaling continued pressure on household budgets.