Central Visayas May inflation further slows to 0.9%

Local

YOUR grocery bill may have felt a little lighter last month.

Inflation in Central Visayas slowed further to just 0.9 percent in May 2025, marking its lowest rate in over a year as prices of key food items continued to decline.

This figure is significantly down from 2.0 percent in April and represents a sharp drop compared to the 4.2 percent inflation rate recorded in May 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority–Regional Statistical Services Office-Central Visayas (PSA-7).

In a press release issued Friday, June 13, the PSA-7 reported that the main driver of the easing inflation was a year-on-year price drop of 1.3 percent in Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, reversing April’s 0.9 percent increase.

This food group accounted for nearly three-fourths (74.6%) of the regional inflation slowdown.

“Central Visayas' overall inflation in May 2025 decelerated to 0.9 percent,” it said.

The Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels category was the largest contributor to the 0.9 percent inflation rate, registering a 4.0 percent increase and accounting for 0.91 percentage points of the overall inflation.

This was followed by Furnishings, Household Equipment, and Routine Household Maintenance, which experienced a 5.3 percent inflation rate and contributed 0.18 percentage points, and Education Services, also with a 5.3 percent inflation rate, contributing 0.10 percentage points to the regional inflation.

Corn and vegetables led food price declines

Food inflation at the regional level declined further to -1.6 percent in May, down from a modest 0.8 percent increase in the previous month.

The PSA attributed this drop to significant year-on-year decreases in specific food items. Corn prices plunged by 21.1 percent, a sharp decline compared to the 1.4 percent drop recorded in April.

Similarly, the prices of vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses fell by 14.8 percent, reversing the 3.7 percent increase observed in April.

These contributed to the easing of inflation and brought relief to households coping with high food costs in the past year.

Inflation for poorest households also declines

Meanwhile, the inflation rate for the Bottom 30 percent Income Households further declined to -1.9 percent in May, meaning prices of their typical purchases were even lower than a year ago.

The PSA attributed this drop to two key factors: a sharper decline in prices of Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, which fell by 5.0 percent; and a slower increase in Transport costs, which registered 4.3 percent inflation, down from 9.6 percent in April.

Inflation trends in previous months

The May 2025 figure continues the region’s downward inflation trend. In March 2025, Central Visayas recorded a 2.4 percent inflation rate, slightly down from 2.5 percent in February. By April, it had dropped further to 2.0 percent, based on earlier data from PSA-7.(TGP)