March 2009
-
Month-on-Month
The Construction Materials Wholesale Price Index (CMWPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) still registered a decline of -0.2 percent in March from -0.6 percent in February. This can be attributed to the continued decreases in the prices of plywood at -0.5 percent from -2.1 percent; fuels and lubricants, -1.2 percent from -3.0 percent; metal pipes, -0.6 percent from -0.1 percent; and reinforcing steel, -1.3 percent from -2.9 percent. From zero growth, price reductions in G.I. sheets and electrical rough-in materials were also noted at -0.8 percent and -0.4 percent, respectively. Moreover, slower growth rates were observed in the price gains of cement, lumber, concrete products and exterior electrical equipment/supplies. On the other hand, price increments were correspondingly higher in hardware and aluminum and other metal products. The monthly price movement of paints was at its last month�s rate of 0.1 percent while prices for the rest of the commodity groups generally remained stable as they recorded a zero growth during the month.
-
Year-on-Year
The annual inflation rate of the CMWPI in NCR continued to decelerate at 15.7 percent in March from 17.1 percent in February. An annual price decrease of -23.8 percent from its last month�s rate of -21.2 percent was still seen in fuels and lubricants. Likewise, slower annual price adjustments were noted in sand, stone and gravel, cement, plywood, asphalt, metal pipes, PVC pipes, paints, reinforcing steel, structural steel, G.I. sheets, interior electrical fixtures and devices, electrical rough-in materials and UPVC water pipes. Meanwhile annual additions were higher in the prices of lumber, hardware, concrete products, aluminum and other metal products and exterior electrical equipment/supplies. The rest of the commodity groups retained their last month�s annual growth rates while that for blasting materials and machinery and equipment rental was zero.
NOTE :
Revisions of the monthly series from December 2007 to May 2008 were made due to the updates made by the official source on machinery and equipment rental rates last June 25, 2008.
Source: National Statistics Office
Manila, Philippines
Page last revised: April 22, 2009
