Calabarzon’s consumers entered the New Year tightening their belts still further.
The country’s official statisticians themselves reported that the region’s inflation rate rose slightly last January, reflecting the national trend.
During a recent online press conference, PSA Calabarzon Statistical Operations and Coordination Division Officer-in-Charge Charity Bautista reported that the region’s inflation rate in January 2026 increased at 2.3 percent, from 2.1 percent in December 2025.
However, officials said this figure is 0.8 percentage point lower than the 3.1 percent posted in January 2025.
A faster increase in prices for the Restaurants and Accommodation Services commodity group -averaging 4.6 percent – contributed to the acceleration in the overall inflation rate, Bautista added.
This was followed by Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels (4.1 percent) and Personal Care, and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (3.0 percent).
Laguna province reported the fastest inflation rate increase, from 2.0 percent in December 2025 to 3.3 percent in January 2026.
Inflation rates in Rizal also rose from 2.2 to 2.4 percent during the same period.
Meanwhile, overall price increase slowed down in Batangas (from 1.1 percent to 0.8 percent), Cavite (from 2.6 percent to 2.4 percent), Quezon (from 2.5 percent to 1.3 percent), and Lucena City (from 1.6 percent to 0.2 percent).
The purchasing power of peso (PPP) in the region was recorded at 76 centavos in January 2026, compared to its value in 2018 (base year).
The trend also reflects the recent rise in inflation rates recorded at the national level for the same period.
Data from the PSA showed that the country’s headline inflation rose to 2.0 percent in January 2026, up from 1.8 percent in December 2025.
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