ILOILO City – At 8.9 percent, this southern city registered the highest inflation among the areas in Western Visayas in July, even exceeding the regional average of 6.9 percent and the national average of 6.4 percent.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Office (PSA) showed the increase in the prices of basic goods and services here to be significant from 7.3 percent in June.
“We will try to do our best (to lessen the impact of the high inflation)…we really have to work double time,” said Mayor Jerry Treñas.
He counts on the help of various government agencies with programs and projects like the city government’s that are beneficial to residents.
Treñas cited, among others, the cash-for-work program implemented by the City Social Welfare and Development Office and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged / Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment – a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment to displaced workers, the underemployed and seasonal workers.
Beneficiaries get paid by working for the city such as cleaning or de-clogging drainage pipes, among others.
Treñas said the city government is also moving to improve the nutritional status of children through feeding programs.
There are skills training programs, too. The city government has partnered with the Iloilo Bakers Association for a bread-making project undertaken through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
City hall is also tying up with the office Cong. Julienne Baronda.
“May mga programs sia nga pwede namon ma-accept man para sige-sige aton bulig sa mga tawo nga nagakinahanglan,” Treñas said.
PSA announced that Western Visayas’ inflation rose to 6.9 percent in July from 6.2 percent in June.
Of the two highly urbanized cities in the region, Iloilo City recorded 8.9 percent inflation while Bacolod City had 4.2 percent.
All six provinces in Western Visayas registered continued uptrend in inflation rates in July 2022. The island province of Guimaras recorded the highest inflation at 8.7 percent, while Iloilo province had the lowest at 5.3 percent.
The main contributor to the uptrend of the region’s inflation was the higher annual movement in the food and non-alcoholic beverages index at 8.7 percent, from 7.3 in June 2022, according to the PSA.
Next was transport with 17.3 percent growth from 16.5 percent in the previous month.
Also contributing to the acceleration in the overall inflation during the period was the higher growth in the furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance index with 2.9 percent, from 2.0 percent in June.
Average inflation from January to July 2022 is recorded at 5.2 percent.
Inflation in July of the previous year was lower at 3.7 percent.
On the other hand, annual growth slowed down during the month in the indices of restaurants and accommodation services at 5.0 percent; alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 10.7 percent; clothing and footwear at 2.0 percent; health at 1.6 percent, and recreation, sport and culture at 3.2 percent.
The rest of the commodity groups either retained their previous month’s inflation rates or had zero percent annual growths.
Food inflation in Western Visayas increased further to 9.1 percent in July 2022, from 7.6 percent in the previous month. Food inflation was lower in July 2021 at 2.0 percent.
The uptrend is influenced primarily by higher annual growth in the food sub-groups of fish and other seafood at 10.0 percent; meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals at 15.2 percent, and sugar, confectionery and desserts with 18.7 percent growth in July 2022./PN