Negros oriental: For the third consecutive month this year, the Negros Island Region (NIR) has recorded the lowest inflation rate in the country despite an uptrend in May, a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) official said on Thursday. Maria Goretti Novilla, Chief Statistical Specialist of the Statistical Operations and Coordination Division of the PSA-NIR, disclosed this at a press conference in this Negros Oriental capital.
According to Philippines News Agency, the regional inflation rate, or the change in prices of goods and services in the Negros Island Region, stood at 5.4 percent in May 2026, Novilla said. This was higher than the 4.8 percent inflation rate in April and 1.7 percent in May 2025, she added. The region's average inflation from January to May this year was at 2.6 percent.
Novilla stated, 'Negros Island Region recorded the lowest inflation rate in the country in May, this year, marking the third consecutive month that the region has posted the lowest inflation rate nationwide." Records at the PSA-NIR also showed that the region's monthly inflation rate was 0.8 percent for January, 0.7 percent for February, and 1.5 percent for March.
The main sources of the region's acceleration of inflation are food and non-alcoholic beverages at 3.9 percent, higher than the 2.6 percent in April. This shared 51.2 percent of the overall accelerated inflation in May, with the commodity groups cereals and cereal products, vegetables, and meat, under this category. The second driver of acceleration is restaurants and accommodation services, while the third driver is clothing and footwear. Major contributors to last month's inflation included food and non-alcoholic beverages, transport, restaurants, and accommodation services. Food inflation in the NIR for May stood at 3.9 percent.
Meanwhile, the May inflation rate for the bottom 30 percent income households was at 5.0 percent, higher than 3.7 percent in April and 1.3 percent in May 2025. Inflation among the provinces and a highly urbanized city in NIR are Siquijor, 10.0 percent; Bacolod City, 7.0 percent; Negros Oriental, 6.5 percent; and Negros Occidental, 4.2 percent. Novilla said it is difficult to compare the inflation rates among these areas because of their varied individual demands or requirements for the 13 commodity groups.
She added that there are many considerations in the acceleration of the region's uptrend inflation, such as the opening of classes, where school uniforms, shoes, and other items are in demand, the Middle East conflict, and the unstable prices of fuel, among others.
