Year-on-Year

The year-on-year change of the Construction Materials Retail Price Index (CMRPI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) further moved downward as it recorded a 0.4 percent drop in February 2016. It decelerated by 0.9 percent in January 2016 while it increased by 1.5 percent during the same month last year. The indices for miscellaneous construction materials, tinsmithry materials, masonry materials and plumbing materials continued to register annual declines of 5.3 percent, 1.5 percent, 1.3 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively, during the month. The annual increment in painting materials and related compounds index slowed down to 0.9 percent while that for carpentry materials index remained at 0.8 percent. The electrical materials index posted a flat growth (Table 2).

Month-on-Month

On a monthly basis, the CMRPI in NCR registered a flat growth in February 2016. It recorded a 0.5 percent decrease in January 2016. From negative growth last month, the masonry materials index, plumbing materials index and tinsmithry materials index inched up 0.1 percent. Likewise, from their negative growth in January 2016, the electrical materials index and painting materials and related compounds index posted a zero growth during the month. In addition, a zero annual rate was posted in carpentry materials index, while miscellaneous construction materials index moved down by 0.4 percent (Table 3).

Prices of hollow blocks, paints, faucets and corrugated G.I. sheets were higher during the month. Lower prices were however, noted in common wire nails, cement and steel bars.