Central Visayas still PH’s inflation hotspot for 11th time

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Inflation, or the general increase in basic goods and commodities, in Central Visayas has started decelerating.

But at 10 percent, it remains the country’s inflation hotspot.

The region’s headline inflation rate for June 2026 has slightly eased, down to 10 percent from May’s 10.8 percent, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

READ MORE: Central Visayas inflation to remain elevated throughout the year

The overall inflation rate in Central Visayas across all sectors saw a decrease in June.

Transportation saw the most dramatic decline, dropping from 21.9 percent in May to 16.8 percent in June.

Meanwhile, food and non-alcoholic beverages eased from 15.2 percent to 14.2 percent.

Inflation among vegetables, tubers, and plantains dropped from 54 percent to 47.6 percent. But they remained the highest contributor to the high inflation for food.

READ MORE: PSEi slump persists on rate hike, inflation fears

Rice, fish, and other seafood also slightly eased.

On the other hand, sugar, confectionery, and desserts continue to see falling prices, with the rate moving from -4.6 percent to -4.7 percent.

For 11 consecutive months, Central Visayas posted the highest inflation rate in the country.

State economists from the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development here (DepDev-7) anticipated that the region’s inflation would remain elevated throughout 2026.

Nationally, the Philippine’s headline inflation slowed for the second consecutive month, settling at 6.4 percent in June this year from 6.8 percent in May due to easing oil price pressures and government measures to strengthen food supply.

In a briefing Tuesday, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the latest data brought the January to June 2026 average inflation to 4.8 percent.

The slowdown was largely driven by lower transport inflation, which decelerated to 12.8 percent in June from 16.2 percent in May amid easing tensions in the Middle East. / with reports from Philippine News Agency

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