• Month-on-Month

  The Construction Materials Wholesale Price Index (CMWPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) registered an increase of 0.2 percent in March from 0.1 percent in February. This can be attributed to the higher increments seen in the prices of fuels and lubricants at 1.4 percent in March from -4.4 percent in February; paints, 0.2 percent from -0.1 percent; reinforcing steel, 0.5 percent from 0.3 percent; and structural steel, 0.3 percent from zero growth. On the other hand, price add-ons were slower in cement, hardware and concrete products. Movements in prices of interior electrical fixtures and devices and electrical rough-in materials continued to drop correspondingly at -0.4 percent and -0.5 percent from -0.3 percent and -0.1 percent, respectively. Prices for the rest of the commodity groups generally remained stable as they posted zero growth this month.
   

• Year-on-Year

The annual inflation rate of the CMWPI in NCR went up to 4.6 percent in March from 4.4 percent in February. Annual price gains were higher in concrete products at 3.3 percent in March from 3.1 percent in February; reinforcing steel, 5.0 percent from 4.9 percent; and structural steel, 2.0 percent from 0.3 percent. Slower annual inflation rates were however noted in sand, stone and gravel, cement, PVC pipes, paints, interior electrical fixtures and devices, electrical rough-in materials and UPVC water pipes. An annual price decrease in fuels and lubricants at -2.8 percent was still observed from its last month�s rate of -3.5 percent. The rest of the commodity groups either retained their previous month�s inflation rates or recorded zero growth.

Source: National Statistics Office
Manila, Philippines

Page last revised: May 5, 2007