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Release Date :
Reference Number :
2019-332

OCTOBER 2019

YEAR-ON-YEAR

Philippines

Bottom 30%

On an annual basis, prices for the bottom 30% income households slowed down further to 0.8 percent in October 2019. This is the lowest inflation recorded for this income group since November 2015, in which the inflation rate was posted at 0.9 percent.

Inflation of consumer items for this income group was higher in September 2019 at 0.9 percent and in October 2018, 9.5 percent.

An annual decline of 0.7 percent was recorded in the index of fuel, light and water (FLW). Moreover, annual increments were slower in the indices of food, beverages and tobacco (FBT) at 0.6 percent; and services, 2.8 percent. Meanwhile, the indices of clothing, housing and repairs (H&R), and miscellaneous retained their previous month’s annual rates (see Tables 3 and 4).

The annual rate of the heavily-weighted food index at the national level fell further by 0.6 percent in October 2019. In September 2019, its annual movement dropped by 0.3 percent, while it was higher at 9.8 percent in October 2018 (see Tables 5 and 7).

The annual rate of rice index decreased further by 7.3 percent in October 2019. Likewise, the corn index still registered an annual drop of 0.5 percent during the month. Moreover, slower annual mark-ups were observed in the following food groups:

  • Cereal preparations, 2.1%;
  • Dairy products, 1.7%;
  • Fish, 5.1%;
  • Meat, 0.4%; and
  • Miscellaneous foods, 2.0%.

On the other hand, annual upticks were higher in the indices of eggs at 5.2 percent; and fruits and vegetables, 2.9 percent (see Table 5).

Year-on-Year Inflation Rates of the CPI for Bottom 30% Income Households in the Philippines, All Items January 2015 – October 2019
(2000=100)
In Percent

Month

Year

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
January 3.8 1.0 2.4 4.7 5.9
February 2.9 1.0 3.0 5.4 5.0
March 2.6 1.2 3.0 5.8 4.6
April 2.5 1.0 2.9 6.3 4.3
May 2.1 1.1 2.6 6.4 4.6
June 1.5 1.4 2.6 6.7 4.0
July 0.8 1.3 2.7 7.6 3.1
August 0.4 1.3 3.0 8.3 2.3
September 0.1 1.6 3.3 9.5 0.9
October 0.4 1.7 3.4 9.5 0.8
November 0.9 2.0 3.4 8.3
December 1.1 2.1 3.7 7.2
Average 1.6 1.4 3.0 7.2

National Capital Region (NCR)

Relative to a year ago level, prices for this particular group of consumers in NCR inched up by 0.2 percent in October 2019. In the previous month, annual rate in the area declined by 0.6 percent, and in October 2018, it was higher at 6.9 percent.

A higher annual rate of 0.9 percent was seen in the FBT index. On the other hand, annual increments in the indices of services slowed down to 1.8 percent; and miscellaneous, 1.6 percent. In addition, annual movement of FLW index declined further by 5.9 percent during the month. The rest of the commodity groups retained their previous month’s annual rates (see Tables 3 and 4).

Areas Outside NCR (AONCR)

Inflation for the bottom 30% income households in AONCR eased further to 0.8 percent in October 2019. Inflation was higher at 0.9 percent in September 2019, and 9.5 percent in October 2018.

The annual rate of FLW index went down further by 0.6 percent in October 2019. In addition, slowdowns were noted in the annual increases of the indices of FBT at 0.6 percent; and services, 2.8 percent. Meanwhile, the indices of clothing, H&R, and miscellaneous retained their previous month’s annual rates (see Tables 3 and 4).

Ten regions either had annual declines or slower annual hikes during the month. The lowest annual rate among the regions in AONCR was still observed in Region I (Ilocos Region), which posted a decline of 1.4 percent. The highest inflation, on the other hand, was seen in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) at 3.1 percent (see Table 4).

Note:

Monthly CPIs for the bottom 30% income households by province and selected cities are posted at the PSA website (http://openstat.psa.gov.ph/).

See more at the Consumer Price Index for Bottom 30% Income Households Main page.

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