Negros Occidental inflation eases as Bacolod rate rises

BACOLOD CITY – Any easing in price pressure was uneven in June: inflation slowed in Negros Occidental, but prices in Bacolod City continued rising at more than twice the provincial pace.

Philippine Statistics Authority data showed the province’s headline inflation rate fell to 3.5 percent from 4.2 percent in May as food, transport, and restaurant and accommodation costs increased more slowly.

Bacolod’s rate edged up to 7.1 percent from 7.0 percent as faster increases in food and housing-related costs outweighed slower inflation in transport, health and education services.

The divide was wider among the bottom 30 percent of income households. Inflation stood at 3.0 percent for these households in Negros Occidental but reached 7.8 percent in Bacolod City.

Headline inflation, also called overall inflation in the PSA report, measures the year-on-year change in the full consumer price index for all income households. It combines price movements across all covered commodity groups, including food, housing, transport and services.

A lower inflation rate means prices increased more slowly than a year earlier. It does not necessarily mean prices decreased.

The consumer price index measures changes in the retail prices of selected consumer goods and services. The report uses 2018 as the base year, represented by an index level of 100.

Year-on-year inflation compares the index for a given month with the same month a year earlier. The year-to-date rate reflects the average movement through June compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

The report separately tracks the bottom 30 percent income group, referring to households in the lowest 30 percent of the income distribution.

A commodity group’s contribution share indicates how much it accounted for the movement in overall inflation. This differs from the group’s inflation rate, which measures the pace of its own price increase or decrease.

The national inflation rate was 6.4 percent in June, down from 6.8 percent in May, while the Negros Island Region’s rate eased to 4.9 percent from 5.4 percent.

In June 2025, inflation stood at 1.4 percent nationwide, 0.5 percent in the Negros Island Region, 1.2 percent in Negros Occidental and 0.5 percent in Bacolod City.

The year-to-date average inflation rates were 4.8 percent for the Philippines, 2.6 percent for the Negros Island Region, 2.0 percent for Negros Occidental and 4.2 percent for Bacolod City.

Negros Occidental’s inflation rates over the 13 months through June were 1.2 percent in June 2025, 0.5 percent in July, -0.2 percent in August, 1.4 percent in September, 0.5 percent in October, 0.7 percent in November, 1.2 percent in December, 0.7 percent in January 2026, 0.3 percent in February, 0.0 percent in March, 3.2 percent in April, 4.2 percent in May and 3.5 percent in June.

The province’s June slowdown was driven by food and nonalcoholic beverages, which eased to 1.7 percent from 1.8 percent and accounted for a 22.3 percent share of the deceleration. Within the group, food inflation slowed to 1.3 percent from 1.5 percent.

Transport inflation moderated to 8.7 percent from 10.9 percent and had a 21.3 percent share of the slowdown. Inflation for the operation of personal transport equipment fell to 31.8 percent from 43.2 percent.

Inflation for restaurants and accommodation services declined to 5.7 percent from 8.4 percent and accounted for a 13.4 percent share of the deceleration. Food and beverage serving services eased to 5.6 percent from 8.3 percent.

The three largest contributors to Negros Occidental’s June inflation were restaurants and accommodation services with a 25.7 percent share, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels with 24.2 percent, and transport with 23.1 percent.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels recorded 0.9 percent inflation in June, down from 2.0 percent in May.

Higher rates were recorded for alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 6.8 percent from 6.3 percent, clothing and footwear at 7.5 percent from 7.3 percent, and personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 5.5 percent from 4.6 percent.

Lower rates were also posted by furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 9.4 percent from 11.5 percent, recreation, sport and culture at 12.7 percent from 13.3 percent, and education services at -9.2 percent from -2.5 percent.

Health inflation was unchanged at 8.6 percent, information and communication at 2.1 percent, and financial services at 0.0 percent.

For the bottom 30 percent of income households in Negros Occidental, food and nonalcoholic beverages slowed to 1.4 percent from 1.7 percent and contributed 25.3 percent to inflation.

Transport inflation for these households eased to 7.2 percent from 8.3 percent and contributed 15.1 percent.

The main contributors to the downward movement were food and nonalcoholic beverages with a 39.0 percent share, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels with 38.4 percent, and transport with 14.8 percent.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels registered -0.6 percent inflation among these households in June, compared with 0.6 percent in May.

Bacolod City’s inflation rates over the 13 months through June were 0.5 percent in June 2025, 0.1 percent in July, 0.0 percent in August, 1.1 percent in September, 1.2 percent in October, 2.1 percent in November, 2.7 percent in December, 1.1 percent in January 2026, 0.1 percent in February, 3.4 percent in March, 6.6 percent in April, 7.0 percent in May and 7.1 percent in June.

The city’s acceleration was driven by food and nonalcoholic beverages, which rose to 6.0 percent from 5.9 percent and accounted for a 28.5 percent share of the increase. Within the group, food inflation climbed to 6.0 percent from 5.7 percent.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased to 7.1 percent from 4.5 percent and accounted for a 20.4 percent share of the acceleration. Inflation for electricity, gas and other fuels rose to 15.2 percent from 11.4 percent.

The two largest contributors to Bacolod’s June inflation were housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels with a 74.4 percent share, followed by restaurants and accommodation services with 11.5 percent.

Restaurants and accommodation services rose to 9.6 percent from 8.5 percent.

Faster inflation was also recorded for alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 7.7 percent from 6.4 percent, clothing and footwear at 10.3 percent from 9.9 percent, furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 9.5 percent from 9.3 percent, information and communication at 1.9 percent from 1.3 percent, and personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 5.1 percent from 4.9 percent.

Lower rates were recorded for health at 1.6 percent from 2.4 percent, transport at 14.6 percent from 18.5 percent, and education services at -2.3 percent from 3.7 percent.

Inflation was unchanged for recreation, sport and culture at 5.4 percent and financial services at 0.0 percent.

Among Bacolod’s bottom 30 percent of income households, food and nonalcoholic beverages rose to 7.6 percent from 7.3 percent and contributed 47.1 percent to inflation.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels climbed to 8.7 percent from 5.6 percent and contributed 16.9 percent.

The main contributors to the upward movement were housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels with a 62.2 percent share, food and nonalcoholic beverages with 17.8 percent, and restaurants and accommodation services with 11.9 percent.

Restaurants and accommodation services registered 9.6 percent inflation among these households in June, up from 8.5 percent in May.

The figures came from the PSA’s Retail Price Survey of Selected Commodities for the generation of the consumer price index.