Leyte inflation slows down to 6% in May
By Neil D. Lopido
TACLOBAN CITY (6 October) -- Consumer prices in Leyte province grew 6.0 percent year-on-year in May, registering a slowdown by 0.1 percentage point from the 6.1 percent recorded a month ago. The province’s inflation rate was also lower by 0.2 percentage point than the 5.8 percent recorded on the same month last year, according to price reports from the Leyte Provincial Statistics Office here.
Likewise, Leyte’s inflation rate is also lower by 0.2 percentage point than the regional level registered at 6.4 percent. Among the six provinces in Region 8, Leyte ranked third to have registered lower inflation rate with Northern Samar ranking the lowest at 3.7 followed by Eastern Samar at 5.3 percent. On the other hand, Southern Leyte posted a double digit-high at 10.3 percent followed by Biliran and Samar provinces at 8.7 and 7.6 percent, respectively.
 ‘Panindugan’ guests NSCB head Evangeline Paran (2nd left) and Macel Avestruz (4th left), institutional services manager, LEYECO II explains the importance of responsive energy statistics. Joining talk show host PIA-8 reg’l director Olive Tiu (center) is Flor Jackson, PIA-Biliran infocen manager (left) and PIA-No. Samar infocen manager Nene Manzanares (extreme right). (Photo by Vino R. Cuayzon) |
NSO Leyte reported that the considerable drop of the inflation rate of fuel, light and water (FLW-group) by 2.4 percentage points to 6.8 percent from 9.2 percent in April was due to the 4.7 percentage points decline of the annual price change of fuel.
Moreover, the commodity groups that posted slower inflation rates included housing and repairs and food items from 3.2 to 3.1 percent and from 8.1 to 8.0 percent, respectively.
Food products that posted decline in inflation rates included fish, fruits and vegetables by 0.5 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively, while inflation of corn increased by 0.5 percentage point.
Meanwhile, sustained inflation rates were noted in rice, cereal preparations, dairy products, eggs, meat and miscellaneous foods.
On the contrary, five commodity groups registered increasing annual rates of price changes, wherein the highest was observed in the inflation of clothing items (0.3 percentage point) followed by services (0.2 percentage point) and beverages, tobacco and miscellaneous items (0.1 percentage point).
The 0.78 peso power purchase in Leyte was sustained in 3-time periods from March to May, 2006 which means that the same basket of goods and services worth 78 pesos in 2000 (base year) will be bought at 100 pesos during the reference period. (PIA-8) [top]