BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Cordillera region experienced a slight increase in inflation rate, reaching 2.2 percent in September 2025, from the 1.2% recorded in the same period last year.
Aldrin Federico Bahit, Jr. of the Regional Statistics Service Office Cordillera (RSSO-CAR) explained that the primary driver behind this increase is the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages commodity group, contributing 47.3% to the overall inflation with an inflation rate of 2.6%.
Within this group, specific items saw significant price hikes: Meat and Others went up by 9.0%, particularly pork; Fish and other seafood increased by 10.6% with galunggong (round scad) being a major contributor while vegetables and tubers soared by 18.4%, with cabbage prices notably high.
Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels group was the second largest contributor, with a 1.5% inflation rate and a 17.0% share of the overall inflation. The main factor here was the increase in house rentals, which rose by 5.7%.
The Restaurant and Accommodation Services sector contributed 7.6% to the overall inflation, with a 3.6% inflation rate. Restaurants, cafes, and similar establishments saw a 3.8% increase in prices.
Baguio City had the highest inflation rate at 3.5% (down from 4.6% in August) while Kalinga experienced deflation at -0.5%.
The provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, and Mountain Province saw faster inflation rates.
In terms of the value of the peso, Abra and Kalinga provinces had the highest value, with 80 centavos equivalent to one peso in 2018. Mountain Province had the lowest value at 75 centavos.
The data was presented during the Online Regional Dissemination Forum on the Cordillera September 2025 Inflation report held Oct. 13, 2025. **JDP/MAWC-PIA CAR
