Negros Occidental inflation falls for poorest households

BACOLOD CITY — Inflation for the bottom 30% income households in Negros Occidental fell further to -1.4% in March 2026 from -0.1% in February 2026, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority Negros Occidental Provincial Statistical Office.

The March 2026 reading also marked a reversal from 3.2% in March 2025, indicating that prices of commonly purchased goods and services for lower-income households were lower than a year earlier.

Year to date, inflation for the same income group in Negros Occidental stood at -0.5%.

The PSA said the main driver of the downward trend in Negros Occidental was the slower annual growth rate of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which posted -4.0% in March 2026 from -0.3% in February 2026.

The agency also identified food and non-alcoholic beverages as the top contributor to the province’s overall March 2026 inflation rate for the bottom 30% income households.

At the regional level, inflation for the bottom 30% income households in the Negros Island Region was unchanged at 0.3% in both February 2026 and March 2026.

In the same reference table on page 1, the PSA reported that national inflation for the bottom 30% income households accelerated to 4.2% in March 2026 from 2.5% in February 2026 and 1.1% in March 2025.

National year-to-date inflation for the bottom 30% income households was placed at 2.8%, while the Negros Island Region posted 0.2%.

In Bacolod City, inflation for the bottom 30% income households rebounded to 1.9% in March 2026 from -0.5% in February 2026.

The March 2026 Bacolod reading was lower than the 3.2% recorded in March 2025, based on Table A on page 1 and the historical table on page 4.

Year to date, Bacolod City’s inflation for the bottom 30% income households stood at 0.6%.

The PSA said the main drivers of the faster inflation pace in Bacolod City were housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which rose 5.0% from -0.1%, food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose 1.0% from -1.2%, and transport, which rose 4.4% from -0.3% in February 2026.

The same three commodity groups were also cited as the top contributors to Bacolod City’s March 2026 headline inflation for the bottom 30% income households.

Inflation for the bottom 30% income households in Negros Occidental eased from 3.2% in March 2025 to 2.0% in April, 2.1% in May, 0.5% in June, -0.2% in July, -0.9% in August, 1.0% in September, -0.3% in October, 0.1% in November, 0.4% in December, 0.1% in January 2026, -0.1% in February 2026, and -1.4% in March 2026.

In Bacolod City, inflation for the same income group moved from 3.2% in March 2025 to 1.8% in April, 2.0% in May, -0.4% in June, -1.1% in July, -1.4% in August, -0.3% in September, -0.4% in October, 0.9% in November, 1.4% in December, 0.4% in January 2026, -0.5% in February 2026, and 1.9% in March 2026.

Historical data also showed that inflation for the bottom 30% income households in Negros Occidental was significantly higher in earlier periods, reaching 8.3% in January 2022, 13.1% in January 2023, 5.4% in July 2024, and 3.2% in March 2025 before slipping into negative territory in February and March 2026.

For Bacolod City, the same table showed inflation peaking at 12.9% in January 2023 before slowing to 3.2% in March 2025, 0.4% in January 2026, -0.5% in February 2026, and 1.9% in March 2026.

The PSA said the consumer price index measures the change in the average retail prices of a fixed basket of goods and services commonly purchased by households relative to a base year, which in this report is 2018=100.

It added that a negative inflation rate means prices of commodities decreased compared with their prices in the previous year, while a positive but lower inflation rate means prices still increased year on year, but at a slower pace than in the previous month.

The PSA compiles a separate consumer price index for the bottom 30% income households using a distinct market basket and weights, although the price collection and computation process is the same as for all income households.