Eastern Visayas

The average prices of goods and services for the bottom 30% income households in Eastern Visayas posted a slower annual price decline of 0.5 percent in June 2025, from 0.8 percent annual price decline in May 2025. This brings the regional IR for the bottom 30% income households to -0.1 percent for the first semester of 2025. 

Moreover, the regional annual price decline for this income group was slower than the 0.4 percent annual price decline recorded in June 2025. The region’s IR for the bottom 30% income households in June 2024 was higher at 5.2 percent (Tables 1 and 2).

Main Drivers of the Uptrend of the Regional Inflation

The main driver to the uptrend of the regional inflation for the bottom 30% income households in June 2025 was the slower annual price decrease in the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages commodity group registered at 1.8 percent from 2.5 percent annual price decrease in May 2025. Transport also contributed to the uptrend of the regional IR with a slower annual price decline at 0.9 percent during the month, from 1.5 percent annual price decline in May 2025. 
 

In addition, higher IRs were observed in the following commodity groups during the month:

a. Restaurants and accommodation services, 1.2 percent from 0.8 percent; 
b. Personal care, and miscellaneous goods and services, 1.9 percent from 1.6 percent; 
c. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 4.7 percent from 4.3 percent; 
d. Clothing and footwear, 0.9 percent from 0.7 percent; and 
e. Recreation, sport and culture, 2.5 percent form 2.2 percent.

On the other hand, compared with their IRs in June 2025, slower IRs were observed in the following commodity groups:

a. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, 1.5 percent from 3.3 percent; 
b. Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance, 0.6 percent from 0.8 percent; and 
c. Health, 1.4 percent from 1.5 percent.

Meanwhile, information and communication and education services commodity groups retained their previous month’s IRs at 0.2 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively. The IR for financial services remained at zero percent during the month (Table 3).

Main Contributors to the Regional Inflation

The commodity groups that largely contributed to the annual price decline regional IR for the bottom 30% income households in June 2025 were the following:

a. Food and non-alcoholic beverages, with 201.2 percent share or -1.01 percentage points; and 
b. Transport, with 9.4 percent share or -0.05 percentage point.

Food Inflation

Food inflation for the bottom 30% income households in Eastern Visayas recorded a slower annual price decline of 2.2 percent in June 2025 from 2.8 percent annual price decline in May 2025. In June 2024, food inflation for this income group was posted at 8.7 percent (Table 3).

The uptrend of the food inflation for the bottom 30% income households was primarily brought about by the faster IR in meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals at 10.1 percent in June 2025, from a 7.0 percent in May 2025. This was followed by fish and other seafoods with faster IR at 6.4 percent in June 2025 from 5.4 percent in May 2025. Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses food commodity group with faster IR at 9.5 percent in June 2025, from 8.6 percent IR in the previous month, also contributed to the uptrend of food inflation.

Moreover, the milk, other dairy products and eggs, and oils and fats registered faster IRs during the month at 4.7 percent and 0.4 percent, from 4.0 percent and 0.3 percent in May 2025, respectively.

In addition, rice and sugar, confectionery and desserts registered slower annual price decrease at 14.7 percent and 0.3 percent annual price decreases during the month, from 14.8 percent and 0.9 percent annual price decreases in May 2025.

In contrast, the following food groups recorded slower IRs during the month:

a. Corn, 1.1 percent from 1.4 percent; 
b. Fruits and nuts, 1.4 percent from 1.7 percent; and 
c. Ready-made food and other food products not elsewhere classified, 3.1 percent from 3.6 percent.

Meanwhile, flour, bread and other bakery products, pasta products, and other cereals commodity group retained its previous month’s IR at 1.5 percent.

Main Contributors to the Food Inflation

The annual price decrease in food for the bottom 30% income household in June 2025 pulled down the regional IR by 1.14 percentage points. The food groups with the highest contribution to the annual price decrease in food during the month were the following:

a.    Cereals and cereal products, which includes rice, corn, flour, bread, and other bakery products, pasta products, and other cereals, with 251.2 percent share or -5.53 percentage points; and 
b.    Sugar, confectionery and desserts, with 0.4 percent share or -0.01 percentage point.

Inflation Rate by Region

In comparison with their IRs in May 2025, five (5) regions registered either higher IRs or slower annual price declines for the bottom 30% income households in June 2025, and 13 regions registered either lower IRs or faster annual price decreases. Eastern Visayas’ annual price decline for this income group at 0.4 percent ranked second lowest among the ten (10) regions with annual declines during the month in review. In June 2025, Central Visayas registered the fastest annual price decline of -3.0 percent. On the other hand, National Capital Region (NCR) recorded the highest IR at 2.3 percent (Figure 2 and Table 4).

Inflation Rate by Province

Relative to their IRs for the bottom 30% income households in May 2025, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar recorded higher IRs in June 2025, while Biliran and Samar registered slower annual price declines. On the other hand, Leyte, Southern Leyte, and the lone Highly Urbanized City of Tacloban recorded faster annual price decreases during the month in review.

For this income group, only Northern Samar and Eastern Samar registered positive IRs among the provinces at 0.5 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively. The rest of the provinces had annual price drop offs, with Southern Leyte recording the fastest decline of 2.1 percent. This was followed by Samar with 1.4 percent annual decline, and Biliran and Leyte both with 0.4 percent annual decline. Meanwhile, Tacloban City recorded 0.4 percent annual price decrease in June 2025. (Figure 3 and Table 5)

TECHNICAL NOTES

The CPI for the bottom 30% income households is compiled by the PSA to measure the changes of prices of commodities commonly purchased by the families that belong to the bottom 30% income decile.  The process of price collection and CPI computation is the same as that of the CPI for all income households.  However, there is a separate market basket and weights for the CPI for the bottom 30% income households.  

BASE YEAR - is a period at which the index number is set to 100. It is the reference point of the index number series. The CPI is rebased from 2012 to 2018.

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI) - is an indicator of the change in the average prices of a fixed basket of goods and services commonly purchased by households relative to a base year.

DEFLATION - is the decline in prices for goods and services that happens when the inflation rate dips below zero percent.

INFLATION RATE (IR) - is the annual rate of change or the year-on-year changes in CPI. It indicates how fast or how slow price changes over two time periods (year-on-year). Contrary to common knowledge, low inflation does not necessarily connote that prices of commodities are falling. It means that prices continue to increase but at a slower rate.

MARKET BASKET - refers to a sample of goods and services commonly purchased by the households. The market basket for CPI was updated using the results of the 2021 Survey of Key Informants (SKI). The commodities included in the 2018-based CPI market basket were the modal commodities which were considered as the most commonly purchased/availed commodities by the households. The commodities in the 2018-based CPI market basket were grouped/classified according to the 2020 Philippine Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (PCOICOP).

MONITORING OF PRICES - involves establishing baseline information for the prices of the items in the base year and monitoring the prices of the items on a regular basis. Data collection for the CPI is done by the provincial office twice a month, except for petroleum products which are monitored on a weekly basis, every Friday. First collection phase is done during the first five days of the month while the second phase is on the 15th to 17th day of the month.

PURCHASING POWER OF PESO (PPP) - gives an indication of the real value of peso (how much it is worth) in a given period relative to its value in the base period. It is computed as the reciprocal of CPI multiplied by 100.

RETAIL PRICE - refers to the actual price at which retailers sell a commodity on spot or earliest delivery, usually in small quantities for consumption and not for resale. It is confined to transactions on cash basis in the free market and excludes underground prices and prices of commodities that are on sale as in summer sales, anniversary sales, Christmas sales, etc.

WEIGHTS - is a value attached to a commodity or group of commodities to indicate the relative importance of that commodity or group of commodities in the market basket. The weights for the 2018-based CPI were derived from the expenditure data of the 2018 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES). The weight for each commodity/group of commodities is the proportion of the expenditure commodity/group of commodities to the total national expenditure. The sum of the weights of the commodity groups at the national level is equal to 100.

SGD. WILMA A. PERANTE 
Regional Director