Caraga: The inflation rate in the Caraga Region climbed to 5.5 percent in March from 3.6 percent in February.
According to Philippines News Agency, the increase was driven by the transport commodity group, which posted an overall inflation share of 52.3 percent last month, rising from 0.8 percent in February to 11.9 percent in March.
The surge in inflation was primarily due to the increased inflation of gasoline, which spiked to 27.8 percent in March compared to -4.4 percent in February, and diesel, which logged a significant 59.9 percent inflation last month from 0.5 percent in February.
The second contributor to Caraga's high inflation last month was food and non-alcoholic beverages. This category posted an overall share of 40.6 percent, rising to 4.2 percent from 2.4 percent in February. The inflation in rice, which increased from -1.8 percent in February to 5.3 percent in March, was the main factor in the commodity sector's high inflation. This was followed by eggplant, with inflation reaching 24.0 percent in March from -2.7 percent in February, and pumpkins, squash, and gourds, with a 24.0 percent inflation last month from 10.7 percent in February.
The housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels commodity group also contributed to last month's high inflation in the region, with an overall share of 5.8 percent, rising to 7.8 percent in March from 7.1 percent in February.
Among the provinces, Dinagat Islands posted the highest inflation last month at 7.7 percent compared to 4.5 percent in February, while Agusan del Sur logged the lowest inflation with 4.5 percent from 3.1 percent in February. The recorded inflation rates in other areas in the region were Agusan del Norte at 6.7 percent, up from 5.2 percent; Surigao del Sur at 4.6 percent, up from 2.1 percent; Surigao del Norte at 5.3 percent, up from 3.2 percent; and Butuan City at 7.3 percent, up from 5.4 percent.
