INFLATION EASES. The inflation rate in Central Luzon slowed down to 8.4 percent in March 2023, according to the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority - Regional Statistical Services Office 3 (Central Luzon). The latest figure is lower by 0.9 percentage points from 9.3 percent in February 2023. (Infographic courtesy of PSA)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The inflation rate in Central Luzon further slowed down to 8.4 percent in March, based on the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority-Regional Statistical Services Office in Central Luzon (PSA-RSSO III).
The latest figure is lower by 0.9 percentage points from 9.3 percent in February 2023 but still higher by 3.8 percentage points from the recorded rate of 4.6 percent in March 2022.
Central Luzon was fourth among the regions with the highest inflation in March.
Western Visayas remained to have the highest inflation at 9.1 percent, followed by Zamboanga Peninsula and Davao region, both at 9.0 percent.
Cordillera Administrative Region, on the other hand, recorded the lowest inflation at 5.6 percent.
The country’s headline inflation also decelerated to 7.6 percent in March from 8.6 percent in February.
In her report on Wednesday, PSA-RSSO III Regional Director Arlene Divino said the downtrend in inflation can be attributed to lower increments recorded in the index of food and non-alcoholic beverages at 9.2 percent from 10.7 percent in February.
This was followed by the indices of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 7.9 percent and transport at 7.7 percent.
Likewise, Divino said the downtrend in inflation could be credited to the decrease in the index of restaurants and accommodation services at 8.0 percent.
The annual growth rate in the regional food index also slowed down to 9.3 percent in March from 11.0 percent in February.
Divino said this was primarily brought about by lower increments in the annual growth rate of vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses at 17.3 percent, oils and fats at 16.6 percent and meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals at 1.8 percent.
However, higher annual increments were posted in alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 16.7 percent, personal care, and miscellaneous goods and services at 8.5 percent, clothing and footwear at 7.5 percent, furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 7.1 percent and health at 6.4 percent.
Likewise, the same rate of increase as that of the previous month was observed in the indices of education services at 1.7 percent and information and communication at 0.8 percent. (PNA)
