09 May 2024 – Guimaras. The heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages with 12.2 percent inflation in April 2024 drove up the Guimaras’ inflation for the bottom 30 % income households (HHs) to 8.6 percent from 8.5 percent in March 2024, bringing the provincial average inflation for low-income from January to April 2024 to 7.4 percent, as indicated in the latest price statistics from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA).

The uptrend inflation of food and non-alcoholic beverages was primarily influenced by the faster year-on-year increase in the Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses at 13.7 percent during the month, from -2.2 percent in March 2024. 

“Transport with 1.9 percent from 0.5 percent in March 2024, and Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance with 3.6 percent from 3.0 percent also showed a significant share to bottom 30 % income HHs’ inflation in April 2024”, Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.

“The price increase of Transport was mainly pushed by the fast-moving prices of Fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment to 3.2 percent from -0.2 percent inflation in March 2024, which include diesel, gasoline, Liquid petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas (CNG, LNG), alcohol, biofuels (ethanol, methanol), methane and two-stroke mixtures, and Lubricants”, Losare added. 

She also expounded that the fast-moving value of Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance attributed to the non-durable household goods with 3.5 percent inflation in April 2024 from 3.0 percent a month ago.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages, Transport and Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance were the top 3 commodities that recorded a huge share of 84.0 percent, 10.8 percent, and 2.3 percent, respectively in the low-income inflation trend in April 2024.

Other commodity groups that showed quicker inflation rates were Recreation, Sport, and Culture, with 14.9 percent from 13.5 percent; Clothing and Footwear, with 3.6 percent from 3.4 percent; and Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, with 9.9 percent from 9.8 percent.

In contrast, commodity groups that registered faster inflation rates during the month are Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels, 1.0 percent from 2.3 percent; Restaurants and Accommodation Services, 2.9 percent from 13.7 percent; and Personal Care and Miscellaneous Goods and Services, 4.4 percent from 5.3 percent.    

Moreover, Health, Information and Communication, Education, and Financial Services retained their previous month’s annual rates. (Table 2)

Losare further expounded that the bottom 30 % income HHs in Guimaras posted a 133.3 CPI, indicating that a typical low-income Guimarasnon household needs 1,333 pesos in April 2024 to purchase a basket of goods and services worth 1,000.00 pesos in 2018. The value is lower than the 134.1 CPI in March 2024 and higher than the 122.8 CPI in April 2023," Losare said.

Losare also highlighted that based on the relative poverty concept, households whose per capita income falls below the bottom 30 percent of the cumulative per capita distribution belong to the low-income group.

"The inflation rate for the bottom 30 percent of income households, who are particularly susceptible to economic and social challenges, was calculated to monitor their well-being”, Losare stated.