Negros Occidental inflation rises to 1.4% in September

Negros Occidental recorded a year-on-year headline inflation rate of 1.4% in September 2025, up from -0.2% in August, driven largely by food and utility price increases, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

During a press conference held Oct. 10, 2025, at the PSA Negros Occidental Provincial Statistics Office, Supervising Statistical Specialist and Officer-in-Charge Diesah S. Biaoco presented the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data reflecting modest inflation recovery from the previous month’s deflation.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages registered a 1.2% inflation in September, reversing a -1.7% deflation in August, while housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels saw a 1.0% inflation following a -1.6% deflation the prior month.

These two groups contributed 70.8% and 24.2%, respectively, to the province’s overall inflation acceleration.

Other sectors showing higher inflation included transport, which rose to 1.4% from 0.4%, and information and communication, which ticked up to 0.3% from 0.0%.

In contrast, lower inflation rates were recorded in clothing and footwear at 3.2% from 4.5%, household furnishings at 1.8% from 2.0%, health at 2.4% from 2.6%, recreation and culture at 2.2% from 2.7%, and restaurants and accommodation services at 1.1% from 2.3%.

Meanwhile, inflation in other commodity groups remained stable, including alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 7.0%, education services at -2.5%, financial services at 0.0%, and personal care and miscellaneous goods at 1.5%.

In Bacolod City, inflation also saw a modest increase to 1.1% in September from 0.0% in August, although still markedly lower than the 3.9% recorded in September 2024.

Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services were the main driver of inflation in Bacolod, rising to 5.8% from 5.2% the month before.

Despite a continued deflation in food and non-alcoholic beverages at -0.7%, the rate improved from -2.4% in August and contributed 47.7% to the city’s overall inflation.

Housing and utilities contributed 38.7% with a 0.8% inflation rate, up from -1.2%, while transport contributed 10.4% after posting 0.5% inflation compared to -0.9% in August.

Slight increases were also observed in alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 5.7% from 5.4%, household furnishings at 1.7% from 1.6%, and information and communication at 0.0% from -0.1%.

Conversely, inflation rates declined in clothing and footwear at 2.3% from 3.3%, health at 4.4% from 4.5%, and recreation and culture at 3.3% from 3.4%.

Inflation in other key sectors—education services at 3.7%, restaurants and accommodation services at 3.3%, and financial services at 0.0%—remained unchanged.

The PSA report shows that, despite the modest recovery, the region’s inflation rates remain significantly lower than those recorded in 2024, when September figures reached 3.2% in Negros Occidental and 3.9% in Bacolod City.