BOAC, Marinduque — The province of Marinduque experienced a notable increase in its inflation rate in January 2025, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on February 12.
According to PSA Marinduque Chief Statistical Specialist Gemma N. Opis, the inflation rate climbed by 0.5 percent, primarily driven by rising prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages. In December 2024, the province’s inflation rate stood at 2.1 percent, up from 0.9 percent in November 2024. By January 2025, it had further increased to 2.6 percent.
“Marinduque led the provinces with the highest recorded inflation in January 2025, followed by Palawan, which registered an inflation rate of 0.6 percent compared to 0.5 percent in December 2024. Meanwhile, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa, and Romblon saw a decline in their inflation rates,” Opis explained.
The primary contributor to the inflation increase in January 2025 was the surge in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices, which recorded an inflation rate of 4.3 percent. Key items in this category include vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooked bananas, and meat from slaughtered animals. This sector accounted for 86.5 percent of the overall inflation in Marinduque.
Other notable contributors included transportation costs, which experienced a -0.06 percent change, accounting for 8.1 percent of the inflation rate. Housing, water, electricity, gasoline, and other petroleum products followed, contributing 3.3 percent to the inflation rate and 3.5 percent in share.
Despite these increases, the Purchasing Power of the Peso (PPP) for the bottom 30 percent income households in the province remained at P0.75 in January 2025, slightly lower than the P0.76 recorded in January 2024. — Marinduquenews.com
