Prices of basic goods and services in Western Visayas accelerated in June, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-6) showed.
The region’s inflation rate went up to 6.2 percent last month from 5.9 percent in May. It was even higher than the 6.1 percent national inflation rate.
In the same month last year, the inflation rate was at 4.0 percent while the January to June 2022 average inflation rate was at 4.9 percent.
PSA-6 attributed the increase to “the higher annual increase in the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages at 7.3 percent; transport with 16.5 percent, and alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 10.9 percent.”
It also cited as factor “the higher growth in the indices of the following commodity groups: restaurants and accommodation services, 5.1 percent; health, 1.9 percent; clothing and footwear, 2.1 percent; and recreation, sport and culture, 3.5 percent.”
Food inflation in the region soared to 7.6 percent in June from 6.9 percent in May.
According to PSA-6 the rise is “primarily influenced by cereals and cereal products with 5.2 percent rate, meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals registered with13.6 percent rate, and sugar, confectionery and desserts with 13.6 percent rate.
Of the six provinces in the region, Negros Occidental logged the highest inflation rate at 8.2 percent while Iloilo recorded the lowest at 4.0 percent.
Iloilo City and Bacolod City, the region’s two highly urbanized cities, registered inflation rates of 7.3 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively.IMT
