BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-CAR) disclosed that the region consumer price index in October this year was pegged at 146 which was higher by 3.3 index points from the 142.7 points during the same period last year.
In a report, the PSA-CAR stated he consumer price index increase reflecting the rise in the average prices of goods and services in all the six provinces of the region.
Among the Cordillea provinces, Mountain Province posted the highest CPI for October this year at 158 points followed by Ifugao at 153 and Benguet at 146.9 points, while Apayao posted the lowest CPI at 132.6 points.
In terms of index points change, Mountain Province incurred the highest increase at 5.8 points followed by Ifugao with 4.3 points increase.
On the other hand, the PSA-CAR noted that among the commodity groups, alcoholic beverages and tobacco had the highest CPI in the region at 220.4 points wherein Kalinga incurred the highest CPI on the said commodity at 235.7 points followed by Abra, Apayao and Benguet at 233.1, 229.1, and 220.6 points, respectively.
Further, education registered the second highest CPI among the commodity groups in the region for October this year at 167.5 index points and among the provinces, Mountain Province had the highest index on education at 258.2 points while Apayao had the lowest at 142.2 points.
According to the report, food and non-alcoholic beverages ranked third at 160.7 points wherein Mountain Province reported the highest index on the said category at 167.2 points followed by Benguet and Ifugao at 166.5 and 162 index points, respectively.
However, the PSA-CAR reported that communication continued to have the lowest CPI among the commodity groups in the region with 83.3 points wherein Abra incurred the highest index in the said category at 111.4 points while Apayao had the lowest at 78.6 points.
Mountain Province consistently incurred the highest CPI for all items with 158 index while Apayao continue to have the lowest index at 132.6 points.
The PSA-CAR stipulated that alcoholic beverages and tobacco recorded the highest index at 16.4 points and increases were also incurred for education at 5.7 points, clothing and footwear at 4.6 points and food and non-alcoholic beverages at 3.7 points.
The PSA cited the rest of the commodity groups reported minimal increases during the reckoning period this year compared to the same period last year.
The PSA-CAR releases the consumer price index of the region every year to provide the public with an overview of the real situation of the various commodity groups in the different parts of the region during a given period of time.
The PSA-CAR urged the public to update themselves in the prevailing economic situation in the region by being informed of the latest data being released by the agency for public consumption.
The PSA is the merger of the former National Statistics Office (NSO), the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB), the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics and the Department of Labor and Employment Statistics.
By HENT
