DAGUPAN CITY – The inflation rate of Pangasinan in January decreased to 2.4 percent from 3.1 percent in December 2025 while La Union’s inflation rate accelerated to 1.4 percent from 0.2 percent, according to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.
In a statement on Friday, PSA Pangasinan senior statistical specialist Verna Palsimon said the top commodity group that contributed to the overall inflation in the province was restaurants and accommodation services with 37.6 percent share.
Others are housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels with 25.6 percent share; and food and non-alcoholic beverages with 24.6 percent share.
Also contributing to the downward trend were the slower annual increase in the index on the commodity groups of alcoholic beverages and tobacco from 1.1 percent to 0.9 percent; clothing and footwear from 4.4 percent to 3.9 percent; furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance from 1.3 percent to 0.7 percent; health from 0.6 to 0.5 percent; transport from 0.8 percent to 0.5 percent; recreation, sport and culture from 1.4 percent to 1.2 percent; and restaurants and accommodation services from 8.9 percent to 7.1 percent.
Palsimon said commodity groups that recorded higher inflation rates were housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels with 3.7 percent from 2.3 percent, and personal care, and miscellaneous goods and services with 0.2 from 0.0 percent.
“The inflation rates for the information and communication education services and financial services remained at 0.2 percent, 4.5 percent and 0.0 percent, respectively,” she said.
Meanwhile, PSA-La Union chief statistical specialist Danites Teñido said the uptrend in the overall inflation was primarily due to faster annual increment of 2.3 percent in the food and non-alcoholic beverages index from 0.9 percent in December 2025.
“This was followed by a faster annual increase of 3.2 percent in the transport index during the month from 0.6 percent in December 2025,” she said.
The top three commodity groups contributing to the January 2026 overall inflation of the province were food and non-alcoholic beverages with 67.7 percent share; transport with 20.5 percent share; education services with 12.5 percent share.
Food inflation at the provincial level accelerated to 2.3 percent in January 2026 from 1.0 percent in December 2025; personal care, and miscellaneous goods and services at 1.6 percent from 0.1 percent; alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 5.1 percent from 1.6 percent; furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance at 2.9 percent from 1.3 percent; health at 1.6 percent from 0.1 percent; restaurants and accommodation services at 0.3 percent from 0.0 percent; information and communication at 0.4 percent from 0.0 percent; and recreation, sport and culture at 1.5 percent from 0.6 percent.
Meanwhile, education services retained its previous month’s annual rate of 12.1 percent.
Financial services, clothing and footwear recorded zero growth in January 2026. (PNA)