The headline inflation rate in Ilocos Sur rose further to 5.3 percent in January 2025, an increase of 0.2 percentage point from the 5.1 percent observed in December 2024. Furthermore, this month’s inflation rate marks an increase of 7.7 percentage points compared to the same month in the previous year, which recorded an inflation of -2.4 percent.
Meanwhile, the headline inflation rate for the Ilocos Region in January 2025 was reported at 2.9 percent, 2.4 percentage points lower than that of the province. This rate was the same as the national inflation rate, which remained unchanged from the previous month at 2.9 percent.
Figure 1 illustrates the headline inflation rates in Ilocos Sur from January 2024 to January 2025. Inflation rose from -2.4 percent in January 2024 to 5.3 percent in January 2025, with a sharp increase from 0.3 percent in September 2024 to 3.8 percent in October 2024.
The upward trend in the overall inflation rate has been attributed to the following commodity groups: Transport, at 2.1 percent from 1.1 percent with 82.1 percent share to uptrend; and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuel, at 2.5 percent from 2.4 percent with 17.9 percent share to uptrend.
Conversely, the following commodity groups experienced decrease in inflation rate compared to the previous month: Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, at 4.5 percent from 5.2 percent; Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance, at 3.3 percent from 3.6 percent; Recreation, Sport and Culture at 3.2 percent from 3.4 percent; and Personal Care, and Miscellaneous Goods and Services, at 5.9 percent from 6.1 percent.
The remaining major commodity groups showed no change in their inflation rates for January 2025 compared to the previous month.
Food inflation in the province decelerated to 8.7 percent in January 2025 from 8.9 percent in December 2024. The following food groups exhibited decreases in inflation rates during the month:
a. Rice, at 3.0 percent from 8.2 percent;
b. Milk, other dairy products, and eggs, at -0.4 percent from 0.5 percent; and
c. Fruits and nuts, 23.3 at percent from 26.2 percent;
On the other hand, the following food groups posted increases in inflation rates:
a. Flour, bread and other bakery products, pasta products, and other cereals, at 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent;
b. Meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals, at 4.8 percent from 4.3 percent;
c. Fish and other seafood, at 10.1 percent from 8.8 percent;
d. Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses, at 43.3 percent from 28.9 percent;
e. Sugar, confectionery, and desserts, at 1.1 percent from 0.1 percent; and
f. Ready-made food and other food products, at 9.4 percent from 8.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Corn at 27.3 percent, and Oils and fats at 1.2 percent showed no change in their inflation rates for January 2025 compared to the previous month.
SGD. JEANETTE M. MARZAN
Chief Statistical Specialist
Ilocos Sur Provincial Statistical Office
