La Union: La Union's inflation rate inched up to 1.7 percent in May 2025, a slight increase from 1.3 percent in April.
According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Danites Te±ido, chief statistical specialist of PSA La Union, attributed the uptick mainly to higher inflation in three major sectors: housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (71.7 percent share); food and non-alcoholic beverages (37.9 percent share); and restaurants and accommodation services (3.4 percent share).
'The rise in overall inflation was primarily driven by a faster increase in food and non-alcoholic beverages, which rose to 1.6 percent in May from just 0.8 percent in April,' Te±ido said. Within the food group, the biggest contributors to inflation were meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals (140.5 percent share or 2.4 percentage points), fish and seafood (36.3 percent share or 0.6 percentage point), and vegetables, tubers, cooking bananas, and pulses (34.3 percent share or 0.6 percentage point).
Housing, water, electricity, gas, and fuels also recorded a faster annual increase of 6.9 percent in May, up from 6.4 percent in April. Meanwhile, the index for recreation, sport, and culture slowed to a 0.6 percent increase from 0.8 percent. Transport inflation continued to decline, with a 4.4 percent year-on-year drop compared to 3.8 percent in April. Financial services remained flat, while other commodity groups -including health, education, and personal care- registered modest or unchanged increases.
