CALAPAN: Headline inflation in the Mimaropa region grew to 4.4 percent in April 2024, from the 3.9 percent in the previous month, driven mainly by increases in select food items.
In a special release on Monday night, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the main contributors to price pressures were food and non-alcoholic beverages, with 5.4 percent inflation; and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, with 4.7 percent inflation.
The PSA also observed faster growth on Information and Communication, with 0.5 percent inflation, and Restaurants and Accommodation Services, with 6.5 percent inflation.
However, despite upticks in the prices of other commodities, Transportation managed to register negative 1.2 percent inflation last month, due largely to the series of oil price rollbacks.
In April 2023, headline inflation was at a high of 7.8 percent as the country was still recovering from a food inflation surge that began late in 2022.
“The region’s food index accelerated to 5.8 percent in
April 2024, from 5.1 percent in the previous month. (However) In April 2023, the food inflation rate was higher at 9.7 percent,” PSA Mimaropa director Leni Rioflorido said in the statement.
Among provinces in the region, Occidental Mindoro, which has been badly hit by El Niño, posted the highest inflation last month at 7.3 percent from 6.5 percent in March.
On the other hand, Romblon registered 5.6 percent inflation in April 2024, which is lower than the 7.0 percent inflation it posted in the previous month.
Romblon was the only province in the region where price pressures seem to have eased last month.
Source: Philippines News Agency
