Month-on-Month Growth Rates
 

• Philippines

     At the national level, the monthly seasonally adjusted CPI for all items went up at a faster pace of 0.8 percent in August from 0.5 percent in July. Likewise, higher monthly increments were recorded in the indices of the following commodity groups:

• Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages (1.4% from 0.8%);
• Non-food and Restaurant and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (0.4% from 0.3%);
• Recreation and Culture (1.4% from 0.2%); and
• Education (0.6% from -7.0%).

On the other hand, increases in the indices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco slowed down to 0.9 percent from 1.2 percent; clothing and footwear, 0.2 percent from 0.3 percent; and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, 0.4 percent from 0.6 percent. Similarly, the monthly gains in the indices of furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house and health both registered at 0.3 percent was slower compared with their previous month’s rates of 0.4 percent and 1.0 percent, respectively.

     The lean month of August did not affect the indices of the following commodity groups:

• All Items;
• Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages;
• Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco;
• Clothing and Footwear;
• Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels;
• Education; and
• Restaurant and Miscellaneous Goods and Services.

However, this seasonal factor pushed up the indices of furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; health; and recreation and culture. The non-food index was pushed down by this seasonal factor during the month (see Table 1).
 

• National Capital Region (NCR)

     The month-on-month growth of the seasonally adjusted CPI for alcoholic beverages and tobacco in NCR picked up by 0.8 percent in August from 0.6 percent in July. Moreover, higher monthly rates were observed in the indices of non-food at 0.6 percent from 0.4 percent; recreation and culture, 1.2 percent from 0.1 percent; and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services, 0.5 percent from 0.1 percent. The index of education also inched up by 0.2 percent from -2.8 percent. On the other hand, the increase in food and non-alcoholic beverages index decelerated to 1.1 percent from 1.2 percent while movement in furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house index remained at 0.2 percent.

      The seasonal factor such as the low demand of goods and services during the lean month of August pushed up the indices of the following commodity groups:

• Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages;
• Furnishing, Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance of the House;
• Recreation and Culture; and
• Education.

This seasonal factor, however, pushed down the index of alcoholic beverages and tobacco while it did not affect the indices of non-food and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services (see Table 2).
 

• Areas Outside National Capital Region (AONCR)

     In AONCR, the monthly seasonally adjusted CPI for all items rose by 0.9 percent in August from 0.3 percent in July. Faster monthly increases were also recorded in the indices of food and non-alcoholic beverages at 1.3 percent from 0.9 percent and non-food, 0.3 percent from 0.2 percent. In addition, the indices of recreation and culture climbed by 1.5 percent from -0.2 percent and education, 0.8 percent from -8.0 percent. Monthly increments in the indices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco however, slowed down to 0.8 percent from 1.3 percent and furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house, 0.3 percent from 0.5 percent. Upticks in the indices of housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and health also decelerated to 0.4 percent from their respective previous month’s rates of 0.8 percent and 0.6 percent. The indices of clothing and footwear and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services both retained their previous month’s rate of 0.3 percent.
 

     The lean season during the month of August pushed up the indices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; recreation and culture; and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services. This seasonal factor, however, pushed down the indices for all items and education while it did not affect in the indices of the following commodity groups:

• Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages;
• Non-food;
• Clothing and Footwear;
• Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels; and
• Health (see Table 3).