Western Visayas inflation holds at 6.8% in June as sectors shift
Western Visayas’ inflation rate held at 6.8% in June 2026, unchanged from May, even as its three biggest price drivers eased — a standstill the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) traced to faster increases across several other spending groups. The region’s top three contributors to headline inflation were food and non-alcoholic
By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan
By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan
Western Visayas’ inflation rate held at 6.8% in June 2026, unchanged from May, even as its three biggest price drivers eased — a standstill the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) traced to faster increases across several other spending groups.
The region’s top three contributors to headline inflation were food and non-alcoholic beverages (36.3%), transport (21.6%), and restaurants and accommodation services (12.5%).
Those same three groups led the region’s 6.8% inflation in May.
Yet all three also posted slower inflation in June, making their steady weight on the headline figure something of a paradox.
Transport recorded the sharpest slowdown, easing to 16.2% from 20.5% in May.
Restaurants and accommodation services slowed to 16.6% from 17.2%, while food and non-alcoholic beverages dipped to 5.6% from 5.7%.
Increases across several other groups offset those declines, holding the headline rate flat.
Education services logged the steepest climb, rising 5.2 percentage points. The accelerating groups, per the PSA:
- Education services: 9.1% in June, from 3.9% in May
- Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels: 3.8%, from 2.0%
- Health: 4.7%, from 3.5%
- Recreation, sport and culture: 7.5%, from 6.3%
- Alcoholic beverages and tobacco: 9.0%, from 8.9%
- Information and communication: 1.4%, from 1.3%
- Personal care, and miscellaneous goods and services: 4.3%, from 4.2%
Three groups held at their May rates: clothing and footwear (3.7%); furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (6.1%); and financial services (0.0%).
By area, Antique recorded the region’s highest June inflation at 9.2%, while Capiz posted the lowest at 3.9%.
Three areas saw rates ease: Antique (9.2% from 9.3%), Capiz (3.9% from 4.3%), and Aklan (7.3% from 8.0%).
Three others climbed: Iloilo City (6.6% from 6.0%), Guimaras (5.1% from 4.7%), and Iloilo province (7.5% from 7.2%).
The bigger picture: nationally, inflation eased to 6.4% in June 2026 from 6.8% in May — meaning Western Visayas’ flat 6.8% now runs above the national average.
Both figures stay well above the government’s 2% to 4% target range for the year.
The strain is stark year-on-year: national inflation was just 1.4% in June 2025.
To contain price pressures, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.75% in June, its second straight hike.
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