Inflation in the Negros Island Region edged higher to 5.8 percent in August, moving opposite the slight slowdown recorded nationwide, but remained below the national rate and substantially lower than the other Visayas regions.
Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority on Friday, Sept. 4, showed NIR’s inflation rate increased from 5.6 percent in July to 5.8 percent in August.
National headline inflation, meanwhile, eased slightly to 6.1 percent from 6.2 percent in July, bringing the country’s average inflation from January to August to 5.2 percent.
This means that while price increases slowed slightly for the country as a whole, prices in Negros continued to increase at a slightly faster annual pace in August than they did in July.
Still, NIR’s 5.8 percent inflation was 0.3 percentage point below the national rate and 0.8 percentage point lower than the 6.6 percent average for areas outside Metro Manila. National Capital Region inflation stood at 4.1 percent.
Among the Visayas regions, NIR posted the lowest inflation rate.
Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas both registered 8.4 percent inflation in August, while Central Visayas recorded 8.1 percent, compared with NIR’s 5.8 percent.
NIR was also among the regions with the lower inflation rates nationwide.
Among regions outside NCR, only Ilocos Region at 4.6 percent, MIMAROPA at 5.4 percent and CALABARZON at 5.6 percent posted rates lower than NIR, while Central Luzon matched NIR’s 5.8 percent.
At the other end, Davao Region and Caraga posted the highest inflation rates at 8.9 percent each, followed by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at 8.8 percent.
What does 5.8% inflation mean for a Negrosanon?
Inflation of 5.8 percent does not mean prices went down, nor does it mean every product became 5.8 percent more expensive.
It means that, on average, the basket of goods and services used by the PSA to measure consumer prices in NIR cost about 5.8 percent more in August 2026 than it did in August 2025.
In simple terms, if a representative basket of household expenses cost P1,000 a year ago, a 5.8 percent increase would put the equivalent cost at roughly P1,058 today.
Actual household experiences will differ depending on how much families spend on food, transportation, electricity, medicines, rent and other necessities.
For Negros households, there was some relief in food prices relative to the pace recorded in July.
Inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages in NIR slowed to 4.3 percent from 4.7 percent, meaning these prices were still higher than a year earlier but were increasing at a slower annual rate.
But several other major household expenses showed faster price increases.
Transport inflation in NIR accelerated to 11.9 percent from 10.7 percent, while housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose to 5.1 percent from 3.7 percent.
Health inflation increased to 8.3 percent from 8 percent, alcoholic beverages and tobacco to 8.8 percent from 8 percent, and restaurants and accommodation services to 6.6 percent from 6.1 percent.
Furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance recorded a high 10.2 percent inflation rate, while recreation, sport and culture remained at 9.8 percent.
Education services, in contrast, registered a 0.5 percent annual decline in August after posting 3.4 percent inflation in July.
The figures illustrate why a family may feel little relief even when food inflation moderates: transportation, utilities, healthcare and other recurring expenses can continue eating into household budgets.
The national experience was somewhat different.
The PSA said the slight easing of national inflation to 6.1 percent was primarily driven by slower increases in food and non-alcoholic beverages, which fell to 4.6 percent from 5.2 percent, and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which eased to 7.9 percent from 8.2 percent.
National food inflation also slowed to 4.6 percent, helped by lower pressure from vegetables, corn, fish and seafood and oils and fats.
Rice, however, accelerated to 19.4 percent inflation from 17.1 percent in July.
Transport remained a major source of pressure nationally, accelerating to 13.5 percent from 11.9 percent.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing and utilities, and transport together accounted for the largest shares of national headline inflation in August.
For Negrosanons, therefore, the August numbers present a mixed picture: NIR remains relatively better off than much of the Visayas and the national average, but inflation within the region actually accelerated rather than slowed.
The 5.8 percent rate also remains elevated compared with the government’s 2 to 4 percent inflation target range.
Amid continuing inflation pressures, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised its key policy rate by 25 basis points to 5 percent this week, saying measured interest rate increases are intended to prevent inflation pressures from becoming more widespread and to keep inflation expectations anchored.
For an ordinary household, the important distinction is that lower inflation means prices are rising more slowly and it does not mean prices have returned to their old levels.
And in the case of Negros Island in August, even that slowdown has yet to arrive at the overall regional level: food price pressures eased, but the broader cost of living still rose slightly faster than in July.*
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