• Month-on-Month

  On a monthly basis the growth rate of the retail price index of selected construction materials in NCR advanced to 1.1 percent in February from 0.4 percent in January. The monthly increment in carpentry materials index was higher at 1.7 percent in February from zero growth in January; electrical materials, 1.4 percent from 0.5 percent; painting materials and related compounds, 0.8 percent from 0.7 percent and plumbing materials, 0.4 percent from 0.1 percent. On the other hand, add-ons in tinsmithry and miscellaneous construction materials indexes correspondingly slowed down to 0.1 percent and 0.9 percent from their previous month's rates of 0.2 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively. A negative rate of 0.1 percent was noted in masonry materials index from a 0.1 growth last month.

  Upward price adjustments were noted in plywood, nails, lockset, electrical wires and wiring devices, paints and other related compounds and selected plumbing fixtures and fitting materials.
  

• Year-on-Year

  The annual growth rate of the retail price index of selected construction materials in NCR moved up to 4.4 percent in February from 3.3 percent in January. Higher annual rates were noted in all the commodity groups: carpentry materials index, 5.3 percent from 3.5 percent; electrical materials, 5.7 percent from 4.4 percent; masonry materials, 1.0 percent from 0.9 percent; painting materials and related compounds, 2.8 percent from 2.0 percent; plumbing materials, 4.4 percent from 3.8 percent; tinsmithry materials, 2.7 percent from 2.6 percent; and miscellaneous construction materials, 5.2 percent from 4.1 percent.

Source: National Statistics Office
Manila, Philippines