MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The rate of price increases in the Ilocos Region decelerated in October to 3.7 percent from month-ago’s 5.1 percent, tracking the national headline inflation rate, due mainly to slower upticks in food prices.
Philippine Statistics Authority Ilocos Region chief administrative officer Camille Carla Beltran, in a statement Friday, said food index in the region slowed to 9.3 percent from September’s 13.2 percent.
Specifically, lower annual increments were registered by cereals and cereal products; meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals; milk, other dairy products and eggs, oils and fats; vegetables, tubers, cooking bananas and pulses; sugar, confectionery and desserts; and ready-made food and other food products.
Beltran, however, cited higher rates for the health, transport, recreation, and sport and culture indices.
She said “the rest of the commodity groups retained their previous month’s inflation rates or had zero percent annual growths.”
“The province of Pangasinan posted the highest inflation rate at 5.0 percent in October 2023, followed by La Union at 4.6 percent while Ilocos Norte recorded 1.2 percent inflation, and Ilocos Sur exhibited zero percent annual growth,” Beltran said.
Pangasinan, La Union, and Ilocos Norte posted slower rates from 6 percent, 5.4 percent, and 3.3 percent, respectively, in September.
Inflation rate in Ilocos Sur remained at 3.3 percent. (PNA)
