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DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 5 June) – The Zamboanga Peninsula and Central Visayas regions posted the lowest inflation rate in the country in May 2019, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The inflation rate in Zamboanga, which comprises three provinces, five cities, and 67 municipalities, further declined to 1.5% from 1.6% in April while Central Visayas’s inched up a bit, also at 1.5%, from 1.3%.
Other regional economies of Mindanao also saw an improvement in the inflation rates, except for Northern Mindanao’s 4.5% in May from 4.3% in April and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao (BARMM)’s 4.1% from 3.7%.
The inflation figure of Davao Region had further eased to 3.7% in May from 3.9% in April; Soccsksargen, 3.8% from 4%; and Caraga, 2.5% from 2.6%.
Nationwide inflation for May increased to 3.2% from 3% in April, pulled up by higher annual rates posted in the heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages index at 3.4 percent; and housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels index at 3.3 percent.
But the PSA said slower annual increments were observed in the indices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 9.5 percent; transport, 3.5 percent; and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services, 3.3 percent. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)