Negros Occidental inflation drops to zero in March 2026

BACOLOD CITY — The province of Negros Occidental recorded a headline inflation rate — the overall measure of how fast consumer prices are rising — of 0.0 percent in March 2026, down from 0.3 percent in February 2026 and sharply lower than the 2.8 percent posted in the same month a year earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported Monday.

The province’s year-to-date average inflation stood at 0.3 percent, the lowest among comparable areas in the PSA’s summary inflation report for all income households using the 2018 base year.

The PSA attributed the downward trend primarily to the food and non-alcoholic beverages sector, which posted a rate of -3.1 percent in March 2026 — meaning prices in this category actually fell compared with a year ago — a reversal from the flat 0.0 percent rate logged in February 2025.

The drop in food prices effectively offset upward movement across nine other spending categories during the month.

Among those posting faster price increases were recreation, sport, and culture at 10.6 percent from 9.7 percent; furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance at 7.4 percent from 4.8 percent; transport at 5.2 percent from -1.5 percent; and health at 4.6 percent from 2.1 percent.

Other categories with higher rates included personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 2.9 percent from 1.4 percent; clothing and footwear at 2.8 percent from 1.3 percent; alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 2.6 percent from 1.1 percent; housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 0.4 percent from -0.2 percent; and information and communication at 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent.

Education services retained its previous month’s rate of -2.5 percent, meaning school-related costs continued to decline year-on-year, while financial services held steady at 0.0 percent.

In contrast, Bacolod City saw its inflation rate surge to 3.4 percent in March 2026 from 0.1 percent in February 2026. The city’s March 2025 rate was 3.5 percent, and its year-to-date average stood at 1.6 percent.

The PSA identified three main drivers behind Bacolod City’s spike: transport, which jumped to 14.1 percent from -0.3 percent and accounted for a 40.7 percent share of the overall rate; housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 3.8 percent from -0.4 percent with a 30.9 percent share; and food and non-alcoholic beverages at 1.5 percent from -0.7 percent with a 23.5 percent share.

Faster annual increases were also recorded in alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 2.6 percent from 0.7 percent; clothing and footwear at 3.3 percent from 1.9 percent; furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance at 8.7 percent from 8.6 percent; recreation, sport, and culture at 2.6 percent from 2.3 percent; restaurants and accommodation services at -1.9 percent from -2.2 percent; and personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 2.9 percent from 2.3 percent.

Health held steady at 0.9 percent, education services at 3.7 percent, and financial services at 0.0 percent in Bacolod City.

At the regional level, the Negros Island Region posted a 1.5 percent inflation rate in March 2026, up from 0.7 percent in February 2026 and below the 2.0 percent recorded in March 2025. The region’s year-to-date average was 1.0 percent.

Nationally, inflation accelerated to 4.1 percent in March 2026 from 2.4 percent in February 2026, more than double the 1.8 percent rate a year earlier. The national year-to-date average stood at 2.8 percent.

The divergence between Negros Occidental’s flat inflation and the national rate — which surged to its highest level in over a year — underscores the uneven impact of price pressures across the country. Falling food prices provided significant relief in the province even as transport and housing costs climbed in urban centers like Bacolod City.

Historical PSA data show Negros Occidental’s inflation has been on a sustained decline from double-digit peaks of 12.2 percent in January 2023 and 12.4 percent in February 2023, gradually easing through single digits in 2023 and settling below 3.0 percent for most of 2025 before reaching the current zero reading.

Bacolod City followed a similar trajectory, peaking at 12.1 percent in January 2023 before declining to single digits, though the city’s March 2026 figure represents a notable rebound from the 0.1 percent recorded in both February 2026 and July 2025.