Inflation in Central Visayas continued its upward climb for the sixth straight month, reaching 5.6 percent in January 2026, up from 3.8 percent in December 2025 and 2.9 percent a year ago, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-7) reported.

The faster rise in prices was driven largely by hospitality services, household utilities, and transportation. Restaurants and accommodation services saw the sharpest jump, soaring 9.1 percent in January compared to just 1 percent in December. PSA-7 Chief Statistical Specialist Leopoldo Alfanta noted that the surge in visitors for events like the ASEAN Tourism Forum contributed to this increase.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels also pushed inflation higher, climbing to 3.1 percent from 1.1 percent, while transportation costs rose to 2.2 percent from 1.1 percent. Food and non-alcoholic beverages held steady at 8.2 percent, with notable price hikes in flour, bread, meat, dairy, oils, fruits, nuts, and ready-made foods. Seafood and vegetables, however, saw slower price increases.

Other sectors also saw increases: alcoholic beverages and tobacco rose to 4.8 percent, clothing and footwear to 2.6 percent, household furnishings to 2.9 percent, health products to 3.1 percent, and personal care products to 3.2 percent. Education and financial services remained steady at 2.6 percent and 0 percent, respectively.

By province, Cebu posted the sharpest inflation at 7.3 percent, up from 5.1 percent in December, mainly due to restaurants and accommodations, while Bohol rose to 2.2 percent from 0.2 percent.

Alfanta emphasized that this doesn’t mean Central Visayas has the highest prices in the country — inflation measures how fast prices are rising, not the actual cost of goods and services.