Rising food and housing and utilities costs were behind the increase of inflation in Catanduanes last month, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), with the poorer sector of society groaning under an all-time high of 8 percent.
Data released by the PSA – Catanduanes Provincial Statistical Office found headline inflation quickened to 6.2 percent in June, from 6 percent last month.
This was double the recorded inflation rate in the same month last year. Furthermore, this marks the second highest-recorded inflation rate since the start of the year.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels were found to be the biggest contributor to the increase in consumer prices at 7.1 percent from 5.5 percent in May 2026.
Moreover, food inflation increased to 5.9 percent this month compared to 5.6 percent in May 2026. Faster inflation rates of cereals and fish were cited for the increase.
This was followed by furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 2.5 percent, from 1.4 percent last month.
The PSA noted lower inflation rates for transportation at 8.1 percent from 9.8 percent, restaurants and accommodation services at 9.3 percent from 11.1 percent, and recreation, sport and culture at 5.4 percent from 5.7 percent.
As a result, the purchasing power of the peso dipped to P0.70 while the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to P143.40 for June 2026.
This means that if an average Catandunganon household bought P100 worth of goods and services in March 2018, they would need an additional P43.40 to buy the same in June 2026.
Meanwhile, the inflation for the bottom 30 percent of households reached an all-year high of 8 percent, from 7.1 percent last month and 1.3 percent last year.
This is the seventh straight increase of prices for this demographic since November 2025 at -0.7 percent.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels were also responsible for the quickened inflation at 11.5 percent from 8.8 percent in May 2026.
The main contributors to the June 2026 inflation rate for the bottom 30% of households were food and alcoholic beverages with 52 percent share; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels with 22.4 percent; and, restaurants and accommodation services with 7.5 percent.
On the other hand, food inflation for the sector recorded an annual increase of 7.5 percent, up from 6.4 percent in the previous month.
This was due to price increases in fish and other seafood (9 percent), oils and fats (12.3 percent), and ready-made food and other food products (5.4 percent).
An estimated 23.5 percent of households in Catanduanes were considered poor in 2023, with each family spending 70 percent of their income on food.