The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Region 8 has published the most recent inflation rate for the region, highlighting Eastern Samar at the top with an inflation rate of 3.0 percent, followed by Southern Leyte at 2.2 percent, Leyte and Biliran each at 1.1 percent, Tacloban City at 1.0 percent, Northern Samar at 0.8 percent, and the lowest recorded rate is in Samar at 0.5 percent.
In January 2025, the inflation rate for Eastern Visayas held steady at 1.3 percent, which is lower than the national inflation rate of 2.9 percent for the same month.
The main factors contributing to the inflation rate in last January include: a. Food and non-alcoholic beverages, which accounted for a 37.3 percent share, representing an increase of 1.0 percentage points; b. Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels, comprising a 24.5 percent share and rising by 1.7 percentage points; and c. Education Services, holding a 7.7 percent share with an increase of 8.2 percentage points.
In comparison to the inflation rate of December 2024, three provinces in Eastern Visayas—Northern Samar, Samar, and Biliran—have seen a decrease in their inflation rates, while three other provinces have experienced an increase.
Tacloban’s inflation rose from 0.7 percent, Southern Leyte increased from a previous rate of 1.3 percent, and Eastern Samar saw a rise to 2.6 percent from the prior month. Leyte's inflation rate has remained unchanged.
The inflation rate remained unchanged at 1.3 percent in December 2024. It is also lower than the 2.9 percent national IR in December 2024.
This is the lowest inflation rate since the 1.2 percent IR recorded in April 2020. The leading three commodity groups that influenced the regional inflation rate in December 2024 were: Food and non-alcoholic beverages, which accounted for a 71.5 percent share or contributed 1.1 percentage points; Personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, with a share of 5.3 percent or a contribution of 0.1 percentage point; and Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, representing a 5.2 percent share or a contribution of 0.1 percentage point.
Photo courtesy to PSA Region VIII Eastern Visayas
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