DESPITE the drop in inflation in the country, the majority of the Davao City residents still claim that they do not feel its effects.
Davao Region’s inflation rate dropped to 5.7 percent in June 2023 from 6.3 percent in May 2023, according to the Summary Inflation Report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
However, ordinary citizens do not feel the price adjustments caused by slow inflation.
When interviewed by Sunstar Davao, Lorie Omagap, a cashier from Don’s Chicken stall, said despite the slight decrease in inflation, she had not noticed any differences.
However, she said they still manage to retain the prices for their products to gain customer attraction.
“Kaya pa namo ang presyo, dili pa mi malugi sa among mga baligya bisan pa ana (We can still manage the price, we are not losing yet despite the inflation drop),” Omagap said.
Meanwhile, Rene Sarmenta, a construction worker, expresses his dismay that despite the drop in inflation, their salaries seem to have not caught up with the high prices.
“Dili man kaayo nako feel ang pagbaba sa presyo, sa pamasahe, mao ra man gihapon.
Hangtod mahal kaayo para sa amoa, dili pa na mabati na (I don't feel the price drop, the fare is still the same. Until the prices are too expensive for us, we can't feel any change),” Sarmenta told SunStar Davao.
Meanwhile, Elaine, surname requested to withhold, a stall vendor, said inflation is a very “timely” issue that the government must address.
“Mao ni ang ilhanan na ang usa ka gobyerno epektibo o dili, kung mapababa niya ang baligya o produkto, pero kung dili, wala’y ayo na na pamalakad (The inflation drop is the sign that a government is effective or not if it can lower the price of a product. If not, then the governance is bad),” she said.
Two commodity groups slightly increased in June 2023. These are the Health commodity group, recording 5.7 percent from 5.6 percent last month, and the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages commodity group, which inflation rate is 6.4 percent from 6 percent in May 2023. Education Services stabilized at 6.8 percent.
For Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels, their inflation rate drops to 6.5 percent; Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance is 6.6 percent; while the Clothing and Footwear inflation rate is 5.9 percent; Recreation, Sport and Culture inflation rate is 7.8 percent.
Restaurants and Accommodation Services is 9.4 percent; Personal Care, and Miscellaneous Goods and Services is 5.9 percent; Information and Communication is 1.6 percent; and Transport is -2.9 percent.
A recent Pulse Asia survey said that the managing increase in the prices of goods and services remains the top concern of most Filipinos, with 63 percent of the respondents saying it is an urgent issue.
Davao Region’s 5.7 percent inflation rate is the highest among the five regions in Mindanao, compared to Zamboanga Peninsula’s 4.6 percent which is the lowest, followed by Caraga Region at 4.7 percent, Soccsksargen with 4.9 percent, Northern Mindanao with 5.2 percent, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) at 6 percent.
The region’s inflation rate in June 2023 is above the national headline inflation of 5.4 percent.