• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Inflation rates for income households in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental in February slightly accelerated to 3.1 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively, from the 2.5 and 2.2 percent recorded in January, the Philippine Statistics Authority said.
John Campomanes, PSA Negros Occidental chief statistical specialist, in a summary inflation report released March 6, attributed the uptick to slight increases in the indices for clothing and footwear at 9.3 percent from 6.5 percent, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at -0.9 percent from -4.2 percent;
Transport at 0.8 percent from -1.4 percent, information and communication at 0.9 percent from 0.3 percent, and recreation, sports and culture at 6.2 percent from 5.9 percent.
In Negros Occidental, the acceleration was due to slight increases in the indices for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at -5.7 from -7.2, health at 2.5 percent from 2.2 percent, recreation, sports and culture at 5.7 percent from 5.5 percent, and personal care and miscellaneous goods and services at 3.4 percent from 3.2 percent, the PSA said.
But lower inflation had been noted in the indices for food and non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, clothing and footwear, furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance, transport, and restaurants and accommodation services in the province.
The highly-urbanized city also logged slower inflation in the indices of commodities like food and non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, health, restaurants and accommodation services, and personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, Campomanes said.
The rest of the commodities retained their previous month’s growth rates, he added.
Western Visayas’ inflation rate rose to 2.7 percent in February from 2 percent the month prior, while the country’s headline inflation was at 3.4 percent, also up from the 2.8 percent logged in January, and mainly influenced by increases in the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages as well as housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels. | CGC
