Month-on-Month Growth Rates

The month-on-month growth rate of the seasonally adjusted CPI for all items at the national level went up to 0.2 percent in March from -0.1 percent in February. Similarly, the seasonally adjusted CPI for housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels and restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services and restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services inched up to 0.2 percent from 0.1 percent and furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house, 0.4 percent from zero growth. The seasonally adjusted CPI for the following commodity groups retained their last month’s rates: alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 0.3 percent; clothing and footwear, 0.2 percent; health; 0.3 percent; and education, 0.3 percent. Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted CPI for recreation and culture remained stable as it continued to post a zero growth during the period.

Seasonal factors such as the graduation season pushed up the indices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; and restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services relative to the expected trend. While this seasonal factor pushed down the health; recreation and culture; and education indices, it did not affect the seasonally adjusted CPI for all items; clothing and footwear; and furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house.

A 0.1 percent increment in March was recorded in the seasonally adjusted CPI in NCR for non-food; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; and transport. On the other hand, the seasonally adjusted CPI for alcoholic beverages and tobacco and education retained their respective last month’s rates of 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent.

Seasonal factors pushed up the indices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco and non-food. These seasonal factors however pushed down the education index while it did not affect the indices for furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house and transport.

The seasonally adjusted CPI in AONCR for the following commodity groups moved up during the month: alcoholic beverages and tobacco index, 0.4 percent in March from 0.2 percent in February; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels index, 0.5 percent from 0.2 percent; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house and health, 0.4 percent from 0.1 percent; education, 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent; and restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services, 0.2 percent from 0.1 percent. The rate of increase for seasonally adjusted CPI for clothing and footwear however slowed down to 0.2 percent from 0.3 percent while that for recreation and culture was zero from 0.2 percent.

Relative to the expected trend, the CPI for alcoholic beverages and tobacco; housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; and restaurants and miscellaneous goods and services in AONCR were pushed up by the seasonal factors during the month. On the contrary, these seasonal factors pushed down the indices for recreation and culture and education and while it did not affect in the clothing and footwear and health indices.

For technical notes and other related information,
please visit:
http://www.census.gov.ph
or contact the Economic Indicators and Indices Division, NSO
at telephone number 716-3935

Page last updated: April 4, 2012