PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — The low rice prices in markets during the holiday season pushed inflation to slower movement in Palawan and Puerto Princesa, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reports.
The inflation in the province ends the year with the lowest rate of 0.5 percent, mainly contributed by the commodity group of food and non-alcoholic beverages including rice, with the largest weight on total inflation.
PSA Palawan Supervising Statistical Specialist and officer-in-charge Donna Marie Mobe reported that the rate in Palawan slowed down from 1.7 percent in November.
“Laging kailangan ng rice pa rin talaga, pero kahit ganon pa man, slightly bumababa pa naman ang pricing natin ng rice kaya medyo nakahila ‘yon. Sa weight ng inflation, malaki ang food and non-alcoholic beverages,” she said.
Other commodity groups contributing to Palawan are housing, water, electricity, different fuels, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco. The top commodities in the province are electricity, restaurants, cafés and the like, rental, meat of pigs and bananas.
A similar movement was also observed in the rate of Puerto Princesa City at 3 percent from 2.6 percent.
The movement was influenced by commodity groups of housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 3.1 percent, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages at 2.8 percent, and health at 1.2 percent.
The top commodities influencing the rate include other pelagic fishes, electricity, restaurants and cafés, other fish, and the meat of pigs.
The two areas showed similarities in commodity groups with higher inflation for December, which include health, transport, recreation, sport and culture, restaurant and accommodation, personal care, and clothing and footwear.
“Bumilis lang ang presyo, slightly nag-higher siya, pero hindi ganon kalaki naman ang itinaas. Although, ang December kasi natin, accommodation. Season din ng pagbalik-balik ng tao, Christmas season,” Mobe explained.
The inflation in the MIMAROPA region also slowed down to 2.9 percent from 3 percent in November 2024, as influenced by similar movements of the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, and Puerto Princesa City.
Meanwhile, with the La Niña condition being expected to continue in the first quarter of the year, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), PSA observed that the usual commodities that could be affected by heavy rains are fish, vegetables, and rice.
The impact could be experienced based on the stage of the crop or season of the commodity, Mobe explained.
“Ang panahon nakakaapekto sa inflation. Minsan, ngayong month na ito nangyari ang calamity pero sa susunod di mo nararamdaman, pagdating pa ng sunod na month. Depende rin sa stages ng crops,” she said. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)