The ongoing load limits placed at the San Juanico Bridge have had a marked impact on Eastern Visayas' economy, as evidenced by the recent rise in the region's inflation rate last August.
According to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) last week, the region recorded a 0.2-percent inflation rate (IR) in August 2025, up from July's rate of -0.2 percent.
The August 2025 uptrend in the regional inflation was primarily due to the higher prices for the transport commodity group at 0.4 percent, up from a 2.1-percent decline a month prior.
The adjustment in the transport commodity group was largely influenced by the increase of IR in passenger transport services from -0.5 percent to 1.9 percent, PSA Eastern Visayas Supervising Statistical Specialist Zonia Salazar said in a press briefing.
With the load limits currently implemented at the San Juanico Bridge, cargo trucks and passenger buses had been forced to use roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferries to cross from Samar to Leyte and vice versa, increasing transportation costs.
Another contributing factor was the slower annual price decrease of the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages — 0.5 percent in August 2025 from 0.9 percent in July 2025.
“The faster IR of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 0.2 percent in August 2025 from zero inflation in the previous month likewise contributed to the increase of the regional IR,” Salazar said.
Four of the region’s six provinces also recorded higher inflation rates in August.
Among the provinces, Samar posted the highest rate at 1 percent, up from the -0.5 percent in the previous month.
Eastern Samar’s IR is also higher at 0.8 percent in August, up from -0.4 percent in July.
Biliran’s rate shot up to -0.5 percent during the same period from -1.1 percent.
Leyte’s IR slightly went up to 0.2 percent in August from 0.1 percent in July, while Southern Leyte’s rate rose to -0.2 percent from -0.9 percent.
Tacloban, the lone highly urbanized city in the region, recorded an inflation rate of 0.6 percent during the month, higher than its 0.2 percent IR the previous month.
Northern Samar is the only province that logged a decrease in IR, from -0.2 percent in July to only -1 percent in August.
(With report from PNA)
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