Amid cheap pork, eggs, fuel prices prop up inflation in Cordillera

BAGUIO CITY – The indigenous communities of the Cordillera were staggered last month by steep food and fuel prices that raised the inflation rate in the region to 8.2 percent in September, from the 6.8-percent rate since July, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said during an economic briefing on Thursday (October 15).

This is the highest inflation rate yet this year in the highland region comprising Ifugao, Abra, Benguet, Apayao, Kalinga and Mountain Province, said Aldrin Federico Bahit Jr., PSA chief statistician for the region. 

READ: Spike in rice, utility, LPG costs drives up July inflation in Cordillera

Baguio, the region’s highly urbanized city, absorbed the impact of an inflation rate of 7.5 percent last month, which shot up from 5.8 percent in August, he said. 

The sharp inflationary rise in the summer capital has been attributed to increases in rent — up 7.7 percent last month from 5.6 percent in August — and household electricity — up 19.8 percent from 10.2 percent. 

These were on top of high food and fuel prices, said Shiena Mae Barcena, PSA statistical analyst for Baguio. 

Rice, which is also grown in parts of the upland region, reflected a September inflation rate of 18.2 percent, up from 15.2 percent in August throughout the Cordillera. 

Bangus prices drove up September inflation for fish and other seafood items to 4.9 percent from August’s 4.3 percent rate in highland towns.

The price jump of items like eggplants catapulted the September inflation rate in the mountain region for vegetables, tubers and other commodities to 12.8 percent from only 1.9 percent in August.

Remarkably, slaughtered meat sold in the Cordillera like pork reflected faster negative inflation, contracting further to negative 1.3 percent in September from the negative 0.5 percent in August, Bahit observed. 

Inflation for milk and other dairy products and eggs was measured at a negative 2.4 percent rate in September from a negative 3.6 percent in August, he said. 

Like the past months, global conflicts have spiked world oil prices, which raised inflation for gasoline to 41 percent in September from 37 percent in August, diesel inflation to 48.3 percent from 43.4 percent and inflation for LPG at 35.1 percent from 33.4 percent.

These impacted local transport like tricycle expenses as well as freight. Benguet, which supplies 70 percent of Manila’s daily salad vegetables like cabbages, beans, lettuce, and broccoli, had an inflation rate of 6.3 percent last month from 4.6 percent in August,

Abra province at the northernmost tip of the region, reflected the highest inflation in the Cordillera with a 16.6-percent rate in September from 13.5 percent in August. Ifugao, host of the World Heritage inscribed rice terraces, had the lowest inflation rate in September with 5.2 percent last month from 3.8 in August. /jpv