Inflation Surges to 9.8% for Low-Income Households in Western Visayas

ILOILO CITY — Inflation among the bottom 30 percent of households in Western Visayas surged to 9.8 percent in July, exceeding the national average of 8.2 percent for the same income group, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). In Iloilo province, inflation for this income bracket reached a high of 12.5 percent in July, a significant jump from 9.3 percent in June. Aklan followed with 11.3 percent (up from 9.6 percent in June), while Antique recorded 10.2 percent. Inflation in Iloilo City stood at 9.3 percent, compared to 5.7 percent in Guimaras and 3.9 percent in Capiz. The July rate for Western Visayas represents a sharp increase from the negative 1.1 percent recorded in the same month last year. Nationally, inflation for the bottom 30 percent of households remained at 8.2 percent in August, a significant rise from negative 0.6 percent in August 2025. The average rate for this group from January to August stood at 6.2 percent. Food and non-alcoholic beverages were the primary drivers of price increases, accounting for 52.5 percent of overall inflation among poor households in August. Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels contributed 18.9 percent, while transportation accounted for 12 percent. Rice inflation, in particular, accelerated to 22.5 percent in August from 19.3 percent in July for the bottom 30 percent, even as overall food inflation eased slightly to 8.3 percent from 8.5 percent. The PSA measures inflation for the bottom 30 percent separately as poorer households allocate a larger portion of their income to food and other basic necessities. Outside Metro Manila, inflation for poor households accelerated to 8.4 percent in August from 8.3 percent in July. In contrast, the rate in the National Capital Region eased to 4.3 percent from 4.5 percent, indicating that households outside the capital region face inflation nearly double that of the capital.