ILOILO CITY -- For five consecutive months, the prices of basic goods in Western Visayas kept increasing as the inflation rate jumped to 7.5 percent in September 2022.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recorded an increase of 0.1 percent from the 7.4 percent inflation rate recorded in August 2022.
The PSA also noted that the region’s 7.5-percent inflation rate for September 2022 was still higher than the national average, which was only at 6.9 percent.
The September 2022 inflation rate was more than double for the same period last year which saw a 3.5 percent inflation rate in September 2021.
The biggest contributing factor to the highest inflation rate for the year so far is the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for transportation, which was 13.9 percent for September 2022.
The CPI for food increased by 0.7 percent to 9.5 percent from 8.8 percent in August 2022.
Antique province registered the highest inflation rate for September 2022 at 9.5 percent -- an increase of 0.9 percent, while Negros Occidental province registered the second highest inflation rate at 7.8 percent.
Iloilo province registered the third highest inflation rate at 7.7 percent, with the island province of Guimaras registering the fourth highest inflation rate at 7.6 percent.
The inflation rate in Bacolod was 6.8 percent, 6.7 percent in Aklan province; and 6.6 percent in Capiz province.