Bicol: The Philippine Statistics Authority in (PSA-5) reported on Wednesday that the inflation rate in the region slowed down from 2.2 percent in May to 1.5 percent in June. PSA-5 chief statistician specialist Rey Merjilla noted that the region's average inflation from January to June 2025 reached 2.2 percent.

According to Philippines News Agency, the downtrend in the overall inflation in June 2025 was primarily influenced by the decrease in the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, particularly vegetables, tubers, cereals, fish, and seafood. Merjilla highlighted that housing, water, electricity, and other fuels also contributed to the overall inflation in the region. Personal care and miscellaneous items further affected the overall inflation.

Merjilla identified the top five contributors to the June inflation as meat of pigs, restaurants, cafes and the like, rentals, meat of poultry, and fresh water fish. PSA data revealed the provincial inflation rates of the six provinces in the Bicol region: Albay at 1.6 percent, Camarines Sur at 1.2 percent, Sorsogon at 1.8 percent, Catanduanes at 3.1 percent, Masbate at 1.5 percent, and Camarines Norte at 0.5 percent.

Inflation represents the annual rate of change or the year-on-year change of the consumer price index expressed in percentage terms, and it reflects the declining purchasing power of money.