Month-on-Month Growth Rates

On a monthly basis, the seasonally adjusted CPI for all items at the national level went down by 0.1 percent in February from a 0.1 percent growth in January. The index for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels continued to post monthly decline at 0.2 percent from -0.3 percent. On the other hand, higher monthly gains were recorded in the indices of health at 0.3 percent from 0.1 percent; education, 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent; and recreation and culture and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services, 0.2 percent from zero growth. Moreover, the index for clothing and footwear inched up 0.1 percent from -0.1 percent last month. Movement in the index for furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house remained at 0.1 percent while the index for alcoholic beverages and tobacco had a zero growth from 0.2 percent.

Relative to the expected trend, the seasonal factor such as the increase in production of selected goods in preparation for the graduation season raised the indices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco; clothing and footwear; health; and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services. On the contrary, this seasonal factor pushed down the education index while it did not affect the indices for all items; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; and recreation and culture.

In NCR, the seasonally adjusted CPI for alcoholic beverages and tobacco dropped by 0.1 percent in February from 0.4 percent in January. Likewise, the indices for non-food and transport continued to register negative rates at -0.1 percent and -0.9 percent, respectively. The index for furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house, however, had a zero growth. Education index retained its last month’s rate of 0.4 percent.

The bigger volume in production of selected goods in preparation for the graduation season pushed up the indices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco; non-food; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; and transport. This seasonal factor, however, pushed down the education index in the area.

In AONCR, the seasonally adjusted CPI for alcoholic beverages and tobacco and health correspondingly moved up at slower rates of 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent in February from their respective previous month’s growths of 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent. Meanwhile, the index for clothing and footwear inched up 0.1 percent from zero growth. The indices for furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; recreation and culture; and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services retained their last month’s rate of 0.1 percent and in education index, 0.3 percent. That for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels index further decreased by 0.2 percent from -0.1 percent.

The indices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco; clothing and footwear; health; and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services were pushed up by the seasonal factor during the month such as bigger volume in production of selected goods in preparation for the graduation season. On the other hand, this seasonal factor pushed down the indices for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; recreation and culture; and education while it generally did not affect the index for furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house.