Lower prices of food and utilities eased headline inflation rates for all income households both in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City in April, the summary inflation and consumer price index (CPI) report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday, May 14, showed.

The inflation rate in the province last month was at 2.1 percent from 2.8 percent in March, and much lower than the 4.4 percent rate in April 2024, according to a report by PSA-Negros Occidental senior statistical specialist Jerome Cadayona.

“This is the second-lowest inflation rate since February 2025, which recorded a two percent inflation rate. This brings the province’s average inflation rate from January to April 2025 to 2.4 percent,” the report said.

In the highly urbanized Bacolod City, inflation rate for all income households decreased to 2.2 percent in April from 3.5 percent in March, and lower, as well, than the 3.9 percent in April last year, Cadayona said.

“This is the city’s lowest inflation rate following December 2024, which recorded a 2.4 percent inflation rate, bringing the average inflation rate of Bacolod from January to April 2025 to 3.1 percent. In April 2024, the inflation rate was higher at 3.9 percent,” he added.

For Negros Occidental, food and non-alcoholic beverages are the main drivers of the downward trend, contributing 54 percent to the overall inflation.

The commodity group logged 1.3 percent inflation, after posting 2.3 percent in the previous month.

Other major contributors are housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 2.7 percent in April, from four percent in March, and restaurants and accommodation services at 1.9 percent in April, from 3.5 percent in March.

With a 59.9 percent share, the top contributor to the downward trend in Bacolod City is housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, registering only 1.2 percent inflation in April as against 4.6 percent in March.

The two other major contributors are food and non-alcoholic beverages, posting 1.3 percent inflation in April, from two percent in March 2025; and transport, at 3.5 percent inflation in April, from -1.5 percent in March.

The CPI provides a general measure of the changes in average retail prices of commodities bought by a specific group of consumers in a given area and period.

Inflation is the annual rate of change or the year-on-year change of the CPI expressed in percent and interpreted in terms of the declining purchasing power of money. (PNA)