Slower increases in transport costs eased Cebu province’s inflation to 9.2% in September from 9.5% in August, but persistent food price hikes continued to put pressure on household budgets.
Chief Statistical Specialist Felixberto M. Sato Jr. of the Cebu Provincial Statistical Office presented the latest Consumer Price Index and inflation data for all-income households across Cebu province and its key cities during a press conference on Monday, Oct. 12.
Despite the month-on-month decline, provincial inflation remained significantly higher than the 5.3% recorded in September 2025.
Transport inflation slowed to 13.5% from 17.6% in August, accounting for 98.4% of the deceleration in the province’s overall inflation rate.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages remained the largest contributor to inflation, posting a rate of 10.7% and adding 4.72 percentage points to the overall figure. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels ranked second, with inflation at 6.6% and a contribution of 1.29 percentage points.
For households in the bottom 30% income group, inflation also eased, declining to 10.9% in September from 11.5% in August. Transport inflation for this group slowed to 14.5%, while food inflation reached 12.2%.
However, Cebu’s three major cities recorded faster price increases during the month.
Cebu City’s inflation accelerated to 8.4% in September from 7.5% in August, more than doubling the 3.1% recorded a year earlier. Food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 71.9% of the city’s inflation uptrend, with the category’s inflation rate reaching 9.3%. Transport inflation also climbed to 15.2%.
Mandaue City’s inflation rose to 6.8% from 5.9%, driven largely by restaurants and accommodation services. Inflation in the category surged to 18.7% from 9.3% in August, accounting for 88.6% of the city’s upward movement.
Lapu-Lapu City likewise saw inflation accelerate, with the rate increasing to a revised 5.0% in September from 4.2% in August.
Vegetables, tubers and related products continued to drive food price pressures across the province. Inflation in the category reached 31.8% in Cebu province and 41.5% in Mandaue City.
Rice inflation stood at 8.5% across the province, while Cebu City recorded a sharper increase of 21.1%.
Corn inflation in Cebu province eased to 11.0%, although Lapu-Lapu City recorded an increase to 8.8%.
Nationally, inflation accelerated to 7.2% in September, further eroding consumers’ purchasing power and putting pressure on households and businesses.
Economist Emmanuel Leyco warned in a news report that rising consumer prices could weaken the peso’s appeal to investors despite the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ 5% benchmark interest rate.
Leyco urged the government to consider suspending excise taxes on domestic fuel products to ease costs.
He also proposed tax holidays for small businesses struggling with rising operating expenses.
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