MOUNTAIN Province recorded the highest consumer price index (CPI) in the Cordillera region in January, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Records from the PSA revealed Mt. Province had posted a high of 154.1 CPI, higher than the 143.8 average recorded for the region in the same month earlier this year.
Cordillera’s CPI was also is higher by 2.7 index points as compared to the 141.1 of the same month in 2016 which increased reflecting the rise in the average prices of goods and services on all the six provinces of the region.
CPI is the general measure of the change in the average retail prices of a market basket or collection of goods and services commonly purchased by the average Filipino household.
Ifugao came in second with 151.2 and Benguet at 144.3. On the other hand, Apayao posted the lowest CPI at 132.3 index points.
Ifugao incurred the highest increase at 7.1 points In terms of index point change, while Apayao had the lowest increase at 0.8 index point.
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco had the highest CPI in the region at 208.0 with the province of Apayao and Kalinga incurring the highest 220.2, followed by Abra and Benguet at 219.3 and 209.2, respectively.
Education registered the second highest CPI among the commodity groups in CAR for January 2017 at 161.8 index points. Among the provinces, Mountain Province had the highest index at 233.9 points, while Apayao had the lowest at 142.2 points.
Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages ranked third at 158.4 index points.
Mountain Province experienced the highest CPI at 164.6 points, followed by Benguet province at 162.6 points.
Communication had the lowest CPI among the commodity groups in the region with 83.3 index points. Abra province incurred the highest index at 111.4 points, while Apayao had the lowest at 78.1 index points.
Among the CAR provinces, Mountain Province and Apayao consistently incurred the highest and lowest CPI for all items with 154.1 and 132.3 index points, respectively.
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco recorded the highest increasing by 13.8 points. Increases were also incurred for transport (3.5 points), food and non-alcoholic beverages (3.4 points), and restaurant, miscellaneous goods and services (2.3 points). (Roderick Osis)