According to the Aklan Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the province saw a 16.5 percent increase in commodity prices last year.

The agency compared the consumer price index (CPI), which details the average price of basic goods for a certain period of time, from 2012 to 2018. They showed an average price of P208.50 for one kilogram of rice, a half-kilogram of beef, a quarter-kilogram of kangkong, and 250 milliliters of cooking oil. The same measures saw a jump of P34.40 using 2018 CPI, which totaled P242.90.

Based on the increase, PSA noted, the average household in Aklan would need an additional P16.50 in 2018 to pay for an item that would have cost P100 in 2012.

October saw the highest increase CPI, while January reported the lowest./WDJ