GUIMARAS – This island province recorded a -0.5 percent inflation rate in July, marking its first episode of negative inflation this year and the lowest rate in the province since mid-2024, continuing a steady slowdown from 0.8 percent in May and 0.5 percent in June, and a sharp drop from 6.8 percent in July 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)– Guimaras.
“This decline reflects easing price pressures across major commodity groups, in line with the region-wide downtrend in Western Visayas, where inflation fell from 4.5 percent inJuly 2024 to just 0.6 percent in July 2025,” Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.
She explained that the negative inflation, or deflation, signals a general decrease in the average prices of goods and services compares to the same month last year, with Guimaras’ year-to-date average of 0.7 percent remaining the lowest among Western Visayas provinces and well below the national and regional averages of 1.7 percent and 2.0 percent, respectively.
“The downtrend in the overall inflation in July 2025 was primarily influenced by the slower annual changes in the indices of the food and non-alcoholic beverages at -3.2 percent during the month, from -1.8 percent in June 2025,” Losare said.
She added: “The slow-moving annual price changes of transport at -1.8 percent in July 2025 from 0.1 percent in the previous month and health at 1.0 percent from 1.4 percent a month ago also contributed to the sluggish inflation trend.”
Food and non-alcoholic beverages shared 82.8 percent to the downtrend of July inflation, while transport and health accounted for 15.5 and 1.4 percent, respectively.
“From June to July 2025, the food and non-alcoholic beverages; transport; and health were mainly pushed by the slow-moving price movement of cereals and cereal products, with -11.1 % inflation from -8.5 %, fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment with -12.2 % inflation from -6.0% inflation,” Losare said.
Moreover, a dwindling annual price index was observed in health in July 2025 at 1.0 percent from 1.4 percent in June 2025.
In contrast, only personal care, and miscellaneous goods and services recorded faster inflation rates in July 2025 over June 2025 at 1.4 percent from 1.3 percent. While, the other eight commodities retained their previous month’s inflation rate: alcoholic beverages and tobacco: 7.7 percent, clothing and footwear: 2.6 percent, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels: 1.2 percent, furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance: 0.0, information and communication: 2.9 percent, education services: -0.8 percent, restaurants and accommodation services: 10.4 percent, and financial services: 0.0 percent.
Furthermore, in July 2025, the overall inflation rate in Guimaras was primarily influenced by food and non-alcoholic beverages, with a 332.9 percent contribution to the province’s inflation rate, or 1.66 percentage points, with the notable decrease driven by a significant -11.1 percent devaluation in cereals and cereal products, particularly, rice.
Transport followed closely with a 26.1 percent impact on the overall province’s inflation, or 0.13 percentage points, with a noteworthy bearing from fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment showing an inflation rate of -12.2 percent, specifically, gasoline.
Meanwhile, from June to July 2025, Western Visayas retained its inflation level at 0.6%, with several provinces, including Guimaras, slipping into negative inflation. Guimaras’ rate fell from 0.8% in May to 0.5% in June, and to -0.5% in July, after having the highest rate in July 2024 at 6.8%.
The province’s gradual slowdown mirrored the regional trend, as inflation dropped from 4.5% in July 2024 to 0.6% in July 2025.
“The inflation rate is the rate of change in the CPI (consumer price index) derived by computing the indices relative to the same period in the previous year or month, and currently, Guimaras province posted a 132.1 CPI, translating that a typical Guimarasnon household needs 1,321.00 pesos in July 2025 to purchase a basket of goods and services worth 1000 pesos in 2018,” Losare clarified.
“The Purchasing Power of the Peso (PPP) in Guimaras was at 0.76 in July 2025. This indicates that one peso in 2018 is now worth 0.76 centavos,” Losare added./PN
