Western Visayas had the highest inflation rate in the country at 3.9 percent in October, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.
The region’s inflation accelerated by 0.5 percent, from 3.4 percent in September to 3.9 percent in October, higher than the country’s average inflation rate which is at 2.3 percent, PSA data showed.
This is the third consecutive month that the region recorded the highest inflation rate, while the Cordillera Administrative Region was the region with the lowest at 1.4 percent.
Average inflation rate outside of the National Capital Region is at 2.6 percent, 0.6 higher than September’s 2 percent.
NCR’s inflation rate slowed down by 0.3 percent, from 1.7 percent to 1.4 percent.
The PSA said that the acceleration of inflation outside the NCR was mainly caused by the higher annual increase in the heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages at 3.1 percent in October from 1.4 percent in the previous month.
Also contributing to the uptrend of inflation in the area was the slower annual decrease in the transport index at 1.9 percent during the month from a 2.5 percent annual drop in September 2024, it added.
The country’s inflation rate is at 2.3 percent, which is 0.4 percent higher compared to September which was at 1.9 percent.*