ILOILO City – Western Visayas recorded one of the sharpest month-on-month inflation drops nationwide in June 2025, slowing to just 0.6 percent from 1.5 percent in May, but it remained among the top nine regions with the highest inflation outside the National Capital Region (NCR), data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show.
Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services rises over a given period.
A high inflation rate erodes consumers’ purchasing power, making it more expensive for households to buy essentials, while a low or stable inflation rate generally reflects a healthier economy with more predictable price movements.
PSA Region 6 officer-in-charge regional director Nelida Amolar attributed the continued deceleration to easing prices of key commodities, especially in housing, utilities, and food — the latter registering a deflation for the second straight month.
“The deceleration in headline inflation is largely attributed to slower price increases in housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, which went down to 1.0 percent in June from 4.7 percent in May,” Amolar said.
Food inflation further dipped to -0.8 percent from -0.1 percent in May, driven by significant price drops in cereals and cereal products, vegetables, and dairy products.
“This shows the continued correction of prices in essential commodities, particularly staple foods,” she added.
Despite the regional improvement, Western Visayas — which was the second highest nationwide in June 2024 with a 4.8 percent rate — is still tied with Davao Region in terms of high inflation outside NCR.
Top contributors to the region’s 0.6 percent inflation included:
* Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance (0.17 percentage points)
* Alcoholic beverages and tobacco (0.16 percentage points)
* Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels (0.16 percentage points)
Some sectors, however, registered upward price pressures, notably education (up to 4.9% from 2.2%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (5.1% from 4.9%), and recreation, sports, and culture (4.2% from 4.0%).
Among provinces in Western Visayas, all recorded lower inflation rates. Iloilo province posted the highest at 1.7 percent, while Antique registered the lowest at -2.2 percent.
In Iloilo City — a highly urbanized city excluded from the newly formed Negros Island Region (NIR) — inflation also dropped from 3.3 percent in May to 2.7 percent in June.
Meanwhile, for households in the bottom 30 percent income bracket, inflation slid deeper into negative territory at -1.0 percent, from 0.3 percent the previous month. The group benefited the most from lower food and electricity prices.
“Though the regional average is low, we continue to monitor volatility across provinces and cities, especially in key food-producing areas,” Amolar stressed, adding that consistent, data-driven monitoring remains key to informing effective policy and economic planning./PN
