Mindoro inflation rate in March eases

CALAPAN CITY — The inflation rate in Oriental Mindoro went down to 2.8 percent in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) here said.

Oriental Mindoro Provincial Statistical Office Officer-In-Charge Dr. Charlyn Romero-Cantos said in a message via email that the March rate was lower than the 3.4 percent registered in February 2025.

Romero-Cantos added that the current rate brings the provincial average inflation rate from January to March 2025 to 3.3 percent but is slightly higher than the 3.1 percent in March 2024.

"The downtrend in the overall inflation in March 2025 was primarily brought about by the slower annual increment in the index of food and non-alcoholic beverages at 3.0 percent in March 2025 from 4.2 percent in the previous month," explained Romero-Cantos.

She added that the faster year-on-year decrease in the transport index at 2.3 percent during the month from a 0.7 percent annual drop in February 2025 also contributed to the downtrend.

The decline in inflation rate, she added, was recorded for housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 5.0 percent in March 2025 from 5.2 percent in the previous month.

The PSA further said that the slower annual increases were noted in the indices of the following commodity groups: personal care, miscellaneous goods and services, 1.4 percent from 1.8 percent; alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 4.8 percent from 5.5 percent; recreation, sport and culture, 2.4 percent from 3.5 percent; and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance, 0.4 percent from 0.6 percent.

"On the contrary, compared with their previous month's inflation rates, higher inflation rates were observed during the month in the indices of clothing and footwear at 1.8 percent from 1.6 percent; health at 1.7 percent from 1.4 percent; and restaurants and accommodation services at 3.2 percent from 1.5 percent," the PSA said.

The top three commodity groups contributing to the March 2025 overall inflation of the province, according to the PSA report, were food and non-alcoholic beverages with 45.6 percent share or 1.28 percentage points; housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels with 38.3 percentage share or 1.07 percentage points; and restaurants and accommodation services with 7.9 percent share or 0.22 percentage point.

Food inflation also eased to 3.0 percent in March 2025 from 4.3 percent in the previous month. In March 2024, food inflation was higher at 3.8 percent.

"The deceleration of food inflation in March 2025 was primarily brought about by the slower inflation rate of meats and other parts of slaughtered land animals at 21.8 percent during the month from 27.6 percent in February 2025," the PSA said.

"This was followed by the faster year-on-year decline of rice at 13.9 percent during the month from a 10.9 percent annual decrease in February 2025, and fruits and nuts at 5.1 percent in March 2025 from 8.7 percent in the previous month," the PSA report added.