The provincial inflation rate for the bottom 30% households in Catanduanes increased by a full point to 9.1 percent last July 2026, driven up mainly by the higher cost of food and utilities.
In contrast, the inflation rate for all income households in the province was a milder 7.1 percent, but still nearly a full point higher compared to the 6.2 percent registered a month ago.
In its report on the Consumer Price Index for the two household groups, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Catanduanes Provincial Statistical Office said the upward trend in overall inflation in July 2026 was primarily due to the faster annual increase in the index of Transport at 13.3 percent from 8.1 percent in June 2026.
It also cited as major contributors the faster year-on-year increases in Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (8.8 percent from 7.1 percent) and Food and non-alcoholic beverages (6.4 percent from 6/2 percent),
The same trend was observed in the indices of Health (2.1 percent from 1.6 percent), Recreation, sport and culture (6.2 percent from 5.4 percent), and Alcoholic beverages and tobacco (8.8 percent from 8.6 percent).
For those belonging to the bottom 30% income households, the main inflationary increases came from Food and non-alcoholic beverages (8.3 percent from 7.8 percent) and Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (14.8 percent from 11.5 percent).
Faster annual price increases for this sector were also noted in the indices of Transport (10.8 percent from 6.7 percent), Alcoholic beverages and tobacco (10.4 percent from 9.9 percent), Health (5.5 percent from 4.4 percent), and Recreation, sport and culture (4.8 percent from 3.1 percent).
The PSA report stated that food inflation in the province recorded a faster annual increase of 6.6 percent in July 2026 from 5.9 percent in the previous month.
This upward trend was brought about mainly by faster year-on-year price increases in fish and other seafood (18.7 percent from 10.0 percent) and vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses (2.0 percent from -4.6 percent).
Cited as the top three main contributors to the food inflation, which accounted for 38.5 percent or 2.73 percentage points in the overall inflation rate, were Cereals and cereal products (73.1 percent share or 4/82 percentage points), Fish and other seafood (46.7 percent share or 3.08 percentage points), and Oils and fats (2.9 percent share or 0.19 percentage point).
On the other hand, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July 2026 is 143.8, PSA Catanduanes disclosed.
The CPI is an indicator of the change in the average retail prices of a fixed basket of goods and services commonly bought by a specific group of customers for their day-to-day consumption in a given area in a given period of time.
This means that for an average Filipino household in Catanduanes to afford the same basket of goods and services purchased at P100 in July 2018, it needed an additional P43.80 in July 2026.
For the Bottom 30% Income Households, the CPI for July 2026 was higher at 148.1, with poor families requiring P48.10 more to purchase the same basket of goods and services it bought for P100 in July 2018.