BARMM’s February inflation down 0.2%

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced Friday that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) inflation rate was the second lowest in the country at 0.2 percent in February this year lower than the previous month’s 1.6 percent.

The PSA reported that the headline inflation rate in the entire Philippines was 2.1 percent this month, down from 2.9 percent in January 2025.

PSA-BARMM Director Engr. Akan Tula attributed the deceleration in the inflation rate in the region to three primary factors.

This factor includes the Decreased costs of food and non-alcoholic beverages, particularly cereals, fish, milk and dairy products.

Lower transportation costs are driven by reduced prices for passenger services and reduced expenses for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, mainly due to lower rental payments for main residences.

Additionally, he said that the top five contributors to this month’s inflation rate include restaurants, café and the like — with full service; rentals; meat of poultry; tomatoes-fresh or chilled; and electricity from all sources.

In the provinces of BARMM, Tawi-Tawi recorded the lowest inflation rate at -2.8 percent, followed by Basilan at -0.9 percent, Maguindanao at 0.4 percent, and Lanao Del Sur recorded the highest inflation rate at 2.1 percent.

The PSA-BARMM also reported that Cotabato City’s inflation rate has decreased to 0.3 percent this February 2025 compared to the 2.1 percent inflation rate in January 2025.

This decline in the inflation rate indicates that the regional government is sustaining its effort to keep inflation low and manageable to protect the purchasing power of the Bangsamoro.

Tula emphasized that inflation is closely tied to the prices of essential items like food and non-food products. “If these prices rise, the inflation rate will likely follow suit,” he said.

As regards the queries as to whether the decrease in transportation costs could offset the impact of rising fuel prices on inflation, Tula clarified that inflation is influenced by a broader range of factors beyond just fuel prices, he said

He added, “The inflation rate takes into account the cumulative effect of price changes in various basic commodities, which can have a gradual rather than immediate impact.”