SAN JOSE, Antique (PIA) –The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a decrease in the poverty incidence of the province from 18.2 percent in 2021 to 13.8 percent in 2023.
Chief Statistical Specialist Randy M. Tacogdoy said that the number of individuals living in poverty also dropped from 146, 310 in 2021 to 118, 740 in 2023, though this remains higher than the 114,960 recorded in 2018.
The same trend was shared by National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Region 6 assistant regional director engineer Alexander O. Aquio, when he delivered his message in Anini-y, Antique to commemorate the National Day of Overcoming Extreme Poverty.
Aquio shared a positive report on the significant reduction of poverty incidence in Region 6 from 12.1 in 2021 to 9.8 percent in 2023 as per data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
On the other hand, Tacogdoy also reported that the inflation rate in Antique decelerated to 2.4 percent in September 2024 from a 5.3 percent inflation rate in August this year.
Tacogdoy emphasized that this figure reflected the substantial progress from the 6.5 percent inflation rate reported in September 2023.
However, Tacogdoy noted that a lower inflation rate, or deceleration, does not imply that prices have dropped.
“A lower positive inflation rate or deceleration does not mean that the average prices of goods and services have decreased compared to their average prices in the previous year, rather average prices still increased but at a slower rate compared to the rate of increase in the previous month,” he said.
One factor behind the lower inflation was the decline in transport costs, which posted -1.6 inflation rate and contributed 5.2 percent to the month’s overall inflation slowdown.
On the other hand, housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels remained the primary drivers of inflation at 9.4 percent, while food and beverages added 1.7 percent to the overall inflation rate for September.
In addition, Supervising Statistical Specialist Rodme A. Febreo underscored the PSA-Antique’s role in data collection, organization, evaluation, and dissemination, ensuring accurate statistics are available to support development strategies.
He stressed that the agency’s work will continue to support local development strategies. (AGP/PSM/PIA Antique/With reports from YPA/GIP)
