Manila – The Ilocos region experienced a decrease in its inflation rate in November. Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) chief administrative officer Camille Carla Beltran announced on Thursday that the region’s inflation rate eased to 2.9 percent in November from 3.7 percent in October. This change was primarily attributed to the significant decrease in the indices of various commodities, including food and non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, tobacco, clothing and footwear, furnishings, household equipment, and routine household items.
According to Philippines News Agency, However, Beltran noted an increase in the prices of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, while the rest of the commodity groups either maintained their previous month’s inflation rates or had zero percent annual growth. The region’s food index decreased to 7.5 percent in November, down from 9.3 percent in the previous month. Specific trends in November included fish and other seafood at 11.7 percent, oils and fats at -0.2 percent, and vegetables, tubers, cooking bananas, and pulses at -0.3 percent. Sugar, confectionery, and desserts saw a decrease of -2.9 percent, while fruits and nuts retained their inflation rate at 14.6 percent. Among the provinces, Pangasinan recorded the highest inflation rate at 3.9 percent, followed by La Union with 3.7 percent. In contrast, Ilocos Norte posted an inflation rate of 0.7 percent, and Ilocos Sur experienced a -0.3 percent annual growth. All provinces in the region reported lower inflation rates year on year.