(PNA file image)
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Ilocos region posted a slight drop in the rate of price increases in November.
In a statement issued Thursday, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) chief administrative officer Camille Carla Beltran said the region’s month-on-month inflation rate eased to 2.9 percent last month from 3.7 percent in October, primarily influenced by the considerable decrease in the indices of food and non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, tobacco, clothing and footwear, furnishings, household equipment, and routine household.
She, however, observed an increase in the prices of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels while the rest of the commodity groups retained their previous month's inflation rates or had zero percent annual growth.
Beltran said Ilocos’ food index decreased to 7.5 percent in November from 9.3 percent in the previous month.
The inflation trend in November of fish and other seafood was at 11.7 percent; oils and fats at -0.2 percent; vegetables, tubers, cooking bananas, and pulses at -0.3 percent; and sugar, confectionery, and desserts at -2.9 percent while fruits and nuts retained their inflation rate at 14.6 percent.
Pangasinan posted the highest inflation rate with 3.9 percent, followed by La Union with 3.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Ilocos Norte recorded 0.7 percent inflation and Ilocos Sur, -0.3 percent annual growth.
Year on year, all provinces recorded lower inflation rates, she added. (PNA)
