December 2005
Year-on-Year Inflation Rates, All Items
December 2004 - December 2005
| Month | Philippines | Luzon | Visayas | Mindanao |
| 2004 | ||||
| December | 9.6r | 9.7 | 5.8 | 12.0 |
| 2005 | ||||
| January | 10.4r | 10.8r | 5.4r | 11.4 |
| February | 10.2 | 10.9r | 5.1r | 9.8 |
| March | 10.6r | 11.7r | 5.2 | 8.0 |
| April | 11.5 | 12.7r | 5.7 | 8.2 |
| May | 10.8 | 11.6r | 6.1r | 8.1 |
| June | 10.8 | 12.0r | 5.3 | 7.2r |
| July | 11.3 | 12.9 | 5.8 | 5.1 |
| August | 12.0 | 13.6 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
| September | 12.3 | 13.6 | 6.1 | 8.1 |
| October | 11.9 | 13.3 | 6.2 | 6.8 |
| November | 11.7p | 13.1 | 6.9 | 6.4 |
| December | 11.6p | 12.8 | 8.1p | 5.7 |
r - revised
p - preliminary
Year-on-Year
Year-on-year inflation rate of the General Wholesale Price Index (GWPI) at the national level went up at a slower rate of 11.6 percent in December from 11.7 percent in November. Annual price adjustment for crude materials, inedible except fuels further declined to -4.9 percent in December from -1.2 percent in November. Moreover, annual price increases for food items eased to 5.2 percent from 5.4 percent; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, 37.6 percent from 38.2 percent; chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, 11.7 percent from 11.8 percent; and manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials, 7.7 percent from 8.0 percent. On the other hand, higher annual inflation rates were noted in the prices of beverages and tobacco, 8.6 percent from 8.1 percent; machinery and transport equipment, 5.9 percent from 4.4 percent; and miscellaneous manufactured articles, 6.3 percent from 6.1 percent.
Similarly, inflation rate in Luzon at 12.8 percent in December was slower than the 13.1 percent in November. Crude materials, inedible except for fuels still posted a negative annual rate of -7.5 percent from -3.0 percent. Downward movements in the inflation rates were also observed in food at 5.6 percent from 5.9 percent; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, 29.3 percent from 39.2 percent; chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, 13.6 percent from 13.9 percent; and manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials, 8.0 percent from 8.9 percent. Meanwhile, inflation for beverages and tobacco was higher at 9.2 percent from 8.7 percent; machinery and transport equipment, 6.8 percent from 5.3 percent; and miscellaneous manufactured articles, 6.9 percent from 6.8 percent.
Inflation rate in Visayas went up to 8.1 percent in December from 6.9 percent in November. The annual rate of price increments were higher in food items at 4.8 percent in December from 2.9 percent in November; beverages and tobacco, 7.0 percent from 4.7 percent; crude materials, inedible except fuels, 6.2 percent from 5.6 percent; chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, 5.4 percent from 4.1 percent; manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials, 9.0 percent from 4.2 percent; and machinery and transport equipment, 4.6 percent from 2.5 percent. The annual rate of price adjustment was however slower in mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials at 28.6 percent from 33.7 percent while that for miscellaneous manufactured articles remained at 2.3 percent.
Inflation rate in Mindanao slowed to 5.7 percent in December from 6.4 percent in November. Inflation for food decelerated to 3.5 percent in December from 5.3 percent in November; beverages and tobacco, 5.6 percent from 7.5 percent; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, 23.8 percent from 26.6 percent; and chemicals, including animal and vegetable oils and fats, 5.5 percent from 5.6 percent. On the other hand, higher annual price hikes were noticed in crude materials, inedible except fuels, 26.6 percent from 22.2 percent; machinery and transport equipment, 0.9 percent from 0.2 percent; and miscellaneous manufactured articles, 4.1 percent from 2.9 percent. Annual price movement of manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials remained at 3.9 percent.
By Commodity Group, Month-on-Month
Wholesale prices at the national level increased by 0.8 percent in December from -0.1 percent in November.
With higher prices of many food items (meat, fruits, vegetables, fish, and dairy products), the food index in the four areas moved upward: Philippines, 2.4 percent in December from -0.3 percent in November; Luzon, 2.7 percent from -0.1 percent; Visayas, 1.9 percent from 0.1 percent; and Mindanao, 0.1 percent from -0.9 percent.
Additions in the prices of liquors and cigarettes further raised the index for beverages and tobacco in Luzon by 0.8 percent from 0.4 percent. Similarly, the group's index in Visayas also went up to 2.1 percent from zero growth due to price hikes of liquors, brewery and malt products, softdrinks and cigarettes. Meanwhile, the general level of wholesale prices of beverages and tobacco items in Mindanao remained stable as its index still posted a zero growth. Overall, the group's index gained 0.8 percent from 0.3 percent.
Lower price of copra in Luzon during the month further pushed down the index for crude materials, inedible except fuels in the area and in the Philippines by -3.0 percent and -2.5 percent, respectively from their corresponding last month's rates of -1.3 percent and -1.1 percent. On the contrary, the group's index in Visayas and Mindanao correspondingly increased to 0.6 percent and 0.5 percent due to price gains of sand. Higher prices of gravel and pebbles in Visayas and pulpwood in Mindanao also contributed to the uptrend.
A -0.8 percent decrease in the index of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials in Luzon was brought about by the decline in the prices of petroleum products (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, fuel oil and LPG). Likewise, the group's index in Visayas also dropped to -3.1 percent due to the reductions in the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene during the month. Meanwhile, prices of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials in Mindanao remained stable as its index still recorded a zero growth. The national index further went down by -0.9 percent from -0.6 percent.
Upward adjustments in the prices of paints, fertilizer, vitamins and other chemical products resulted to the 1.3 percent uptick in the index for chemicals including animal and vegetable oils and fats in Visayas. Price gains in fertilizer and vulcanizing cement also pulled up the group's index in Mindanao by 0.3 percent. However, the index of chemicals including animal and vegetable oils and fats in Luzon had a zero growth. Thus, the national index slightly inched up by only 0.1 percent compared to the 0.6 percent growth last month.
The index of manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials for Visayas and Mindanao correspondingly grew by 1.3 percent and 0.7 percent mainly brought about by the price hikes in paper products. Higher prices of rubber tire, lumber, paperboard, knitted fabrics, cement and G.I. sheets in Luzon made its group's index to climb by 0.1 percent. Overall, the national index moved up by 0.5 percent.
Increments in the prices of selected office machinery, electric equipment, television and insulated electric wire raised the index for machinery and transport equipment in the Philippines and NCR by 1.4 percent; Visayas, 2.0 percent; and Mindanao, 0.8 percent.
The 0.7 percent aggregate increases in the prices of mattress foam, footwear, photo film and watch in Mindanao mainly effected the 0.2 percent add-on in the group's index for miscellaneous manufactured articles in the Philippines. The group's index in Luzon registered a 0.1 percent growth due to the additions in the prices of photo film, newspapers and magazines. Meanwhile, the index in Visayas posted a zero growth.
Source: National Statistics Office
Manila, Philippines
Page last revised: May 18, 2006
