Poor households in Western Visayas face steeper inflation than national average

ILOILO CITY — Low-income households across Western Visayas are experiencing sharper price pressures than their counterparts nationwide, according to government statistics released this week. The inflation rate for the bottom 30 percent of earners in the region reached 9.8 percent in July, nearly two percentage points higher than the 8.2 percent recorded nationally for the same income bracket during the same period.

The disparity reflects mounting economic stress in the Philippines' western island region, where essential goods and services have become increasingly expensive for families already struggling to make ends meet. Iloilo province emerged as particularly hard-hit, with inflation among its poorest households climbing to 12.5 percent—substantially above both the regional and national figures.

The data underscores persistent regional economic disparities and raises concerns about the purchasing power of lower-income Filipinos in areas outside the capital region. Government agencies have not yet issued statements explaining the regional variation in inflation rates or outlining plans to address the widening gap between cost pressures in Western Visayas and the rest of the country.

Experts have noted that inflation disproportionately affects lower-income households, which typically spend larger portions of their budgets on food, transportation, and basic utilities—categories that have experienced volatile price movements in recent months.