Tacloban: Eastern Visayas recorded a 2.5 percent inflation rate in January 2026, nearly double the figure logged a month earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Wednesday. Last month's rate was higher than the 1.4 percent recorded in December 2025.
According to Philippines News Agency, the uptrend in the regional rate in January was primarily influenced by the faster inflation rate in the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose to 2.7 percent from 1.4 percent the previous month, as reported by PSA Region 8 chief statistical specialist Mae Almonte. A slower annual price decrease in rice, from 12.7 percent in December 2025 to 5.5 percent in January, was a significant factor.
Additionally, faster inflation rates were observed in meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals, oils and fats, flour, bread and other bakery products, pasta products, and other cereals. The PSA also noted an increase in housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels, with rates rising to 3.2 percent from 1.2 percent in the previous month.
Restaurants and accommodation services contributed to the inflation increase, registering a higher rate of 2.2 percent from 0.8 percent in December 2025, according to Almonte. Five of the region's six provinces recorded higher inflation rates in January 2026.
Among the provinces, Samar posted the highest rate at 5 percent, up from 2.7 percent the previous month. Eastern Samar's inflation rate adjusted from 0.2 percent to 1.2 percent month-on-month. Biliran's rate increased to 2.4 percent in January from 1.7 percent the previous month. Leyte's inflation rate rose to 2.3 percent from 1.3 percent month-on-month.
Northern Samar's rate saw a slight increase from 0.5 percent last December to 0.6 percent in January, while Southern Leyte maintained its 1.7 percent rate over the past two months. Tacloban, the lone highly urbanized city in the region, recorded an inflation rate of 2.6 percent, higher than its 2 percent rate a month earlier.
The inflation rate represents the annual rate of change, or the year-on-year variation, in the consumer price index. It measures how fast or slow prices are increasing over time. The PSA clarified that a low inflation rate does not necessarily mean that prices of goods are falling; it indicates that prices continue to rise but at a slower pace.
