Table A. Year-on-Year Inflation Rates for Zamboanga Peninsula and Zamboanga City, All Items
In Percent   
(2018=100)

Zamboanga City

Headline inflation or overall inflation in Zamboanga City remained at 3.0 percent in December 2023 as it recorded the same annual growth rate in November 2023. In December 2022, inflation rate was slightly higher at 7.8 percent. This brings the year-to-date average inflation rate from January 2023 to December 2023 at 4.3 percent. (Table A and Figure 1).

Lower inflation rates were observed in the commodity groups of Food and Alcoholic Beverages recorded at 7.6 percent, Clothing and Footwear at 1.1 percent, Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and other Fuels at (4.0) percent, Health at 0.7 percent, and Recreation, Sport and Culture at 
0.9 percent.

In contrast, the commodity groups of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco and Transport exhibited an uptrend in their inflation rates recorded at 0.7 percent and (2.2) percent, respectively.

The rest of the commodity groups retained their previous month’s inflation rates:
a.    Furnishing, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance, 3.3 percent
b.    Information and Communication, (0.1) percent
c.    Education Services, 18.9 percent
d.    Restaurants and Accommodation Services, 0.2 percent
e.    Financial Services, 0.0 percent
f.    Personal Care, and Miscellaneous Goods and Services, 1.9 percent

Table B. Year-on- Year Inflation Rates in Zamboanga City, All Items
In Percent
January 2020 – December 2023
(2018=100)

Table C. Year-On-Year Inflation Rates by Commodity Groups in

 Zamboanga City for all Income Households, 2018=100

Food inflation in Zamboanga City for December 2023 remained unchanged at 8.3 percent. In December 2022, food inflation was lower at 7.4 percent.

Among food groups, annual decreases during the month were noted in the Corn index at 7.7 percent, Flour, bread and other bakery products, pasta products and other cereals at 1.5 percent, Meat, and other parts of slaughtered land animals at 0.0 percent, Oils and fats at 1.8 percent, Fruits and nuts at 6.5 percent, and Vegetable, tuber, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses at 12.9 percent.

On the contrary, faster annual increases in the following food indices were observed this month:
a.    Cereals and cereal products, 19.2 percent
b.    Cereals, 27.2 percent
c.    Rice, 27.5 percent
d.    Milk, other dairy products and eggs, 11.6 percent
e.    Sugar, confectionery and desserts, 3.1 percent
f.    Ready-made food and other food products n.e.c., 6.5 percent

The only food group that retained its previous month’s inflation rate was Fish and other seafood recorded at (1.6) percent.

Note: CPIs and inflation rates by province and selected city are posted at the PSA website (http://openstat.psa.gov.ph/).

MEWCHUN WS. PAMARAN
Regional Director