Sub reg’l, nat’ inflation

for this income group

Minimum wage earners’

Inflation: 3.9 from 2.1%

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—With Bohol’s March inflation rate speeding up to 4.5 percent from 3.0 percent in February 2026, how would this be for the marginal residents whose household incomes belong to the bottom 30 percent?

For the bottom 30 percent income households in Bohol, inflation also accelerated to 3.9 percent from 2.1 percent in February, 2026, reports Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in their monthly inflation data dissemination activity at their Galeria Luisa office.

PSA, through chief supervising statistician Jessamyne Anne Alcazaren bared that the figure is 0.3 percent and 4.4 percentage points lower than the national and regional inflation rates.

In Bohol, the upward trend in the headline inflation of the commodities and services that people consume is largely influenced by the top household spending consideration and the faster average increase in the movement of prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, and transport, which brings working household members to their workplaces drove the upward inflation increase.

Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages over the month, moved from 2.5 percent in February to 4.2 percent in March, while transport’s annual increase of from 4.0 percent in February is troubling; at double digit 13.9 percent, PSA pointed out.

In fact, prices of major commodities with priority spending concern for minimum earners had a faster year-on-year increase in March 2026, Alcazaren continued.

Price movements of housing, water bills, electricity bills, gas and other fuels was noticeable at 1.0 percent in February to 1.9 percent in March.

Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, the known refuge of the poor also indicated 0.3 percent price rise from 3.6 percent to 3.9 percent.

Information and communication, from 0.0 percent rose to 0.4 percent while clothing and footwear leapt from 3.1 percent to 3.3 percent in March, PSA reports.

For this economic group, contributing largely to its headline inflation are food and non-alcoholic beverages which registers a 2.27 percent price movement which also owns up 58.3 percentages points in the family spending share.

Transport, which eats up to 26.7 percent of the family budget, also sped to 1.04 percent and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels which own up to 8.3 percent in the spending budget, popped at 0.32 percent.

How this affects the poor?

According to PSA, food Inflation for the bottom 30 percent income households at the provincial level sped up from 2.5 percent in February 2026 to 4.4 percent.

In March 2025, food inflation was at -2.5 percent.

As to Alcazaren, from -2.4 percent rate in February, rice price index in March 2026 jumped to 4.7 percent, while corn had a much fasterr year-on-year increase of 20.5 percent in March over 16.9 percent in February.

Rice which owns 43.9 percent share of the inflation hits 1.93 percent, fish and other seafood which shares a 23.9 percent in inflation records at 1.05 percent while meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals eats up to 19.1 percent share with 0.84 percent. (PIABohol)

MORE BELT TIGHTENING MEAURES. Economists and even the PSA in Bohol under Jessamyne Anne Alcazaren, suggests households, especially low income earners impose belt tightening and austerity measures to be able to survive this economic clutch without financial bruises. (PIAbohol)