Negros Oriental’s inflation rate declined further in April as anticipated by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), an official said Monday, May 19.
Engineer Ariel Fortuito, PSA-Negros Oriental chief statistical specialist and provincial head, said the headline inflation in April was pegged at -0.1 percent from -0.7 percent in March.
Fortuito said last month’s overall inflation rate was primarily attributed to housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at -0.2 percent from the previous month’s -1.6 percent.
Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation came next at -0.2 percent from -0.8 percent, while health ranked third at 0.9 percent from 0.3 percent, a report from the PSA-Negros Oriental showed.
Commodity group alcoholic beverages and tobacco was pegged at 2.4 percent from 1.5 percent, while clothing and footwear at 0.5 percent from 0.1 percent.
Fortuito earlier said the clear downtrend of the inflation rate was mostly attributed to the harvest season, a drop in prices of rice and corn, and rollbacks of petroleum prices.
“Hopefully, this will continue even if fuel prices adjust again,” he said.
The main contributors to the headline inflation in April were the top three commodity groups, namely, transport with 320.9 percent share; food and non-alcoholic beverages, 67.8 percent; and housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, 66.5 percent.
Food inflation at the provincial level increased to -0.2 percent in April from -0.8 percent in March.
The main driver in the food inflation was cereals and cereal products, including rice and corn at -6.0 percent and -7.7 percent.
The other drivers include fruits and nuts at 0.9 percent from -5.2 percent; and meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals at 3.8 percent from 2.4 percent.
Meanwhile, lower inflation rates during the month were also observed in the following food groups: fish and other seafood (3.8 percent from 4.7 percent); vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses (9.1 percent from 12.6 percent).*PNA