CALABARZON inflation climbs to 7.6% in October
Transport costs, rice prices drive inflation higher as Laguna records region’s highest rate at 9.2%
FARM ROAD. An agricultural road traverses a farming area in Quezon province, which will receive the largest share of CALABARZON’s 72 farm-to-market road projects, with 49 projects allotted to the province under the Department of Agriculture’s more than ₱1.5-billion regional rollout
LIPA CITY, Batangas — Inflation in CALABARZON accelerated to 7.6 percent in October 2026, driven largely by rising transportation costs, housing expenses and food prices, particularly rice, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Monday, 9 November.
PSA CALABARZON Regional Director Charito C. Armonia announced the latest inflation figures during a regional press conference, noting that the October rate was higher than the 7.2 percent recorded in September 2026 and significantly above the 2.5 percent registered in October 2025.
The region’s average inflation rate from January to September 2026 stood at 5.6 percent.
Transportation emerged as the primary contributor to the faster increase in consumer prices, recording an inflation rate of 18.3 percent in October.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels followed with an inflation rate of 11.2 percent, reflecting continued price pressures on essential household expenditures.
Among food commodities, rice registered a 15.9 percent inflation rate, while fruits and nuts recorded 13.6 percent.
Flour, bread, bakery products, pasta and other cereals posted 7.5 percent inflation, while ready-made food and other food products registered 5.5 percent.
Other food categories showed relatively slower price increases, including corn at 6.6 percent, fish and other seafood at 5.7 percent, and sugar, confectionery and desserts at 0.5 percent.
Meanwhile, meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals recorded a negative inflation rate of 4.2 percent, indicating lower prices compared with the same period last year.
Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses also registered negative inflation of 2.1 percent.
Milk, other dairy products and eggs recorded an inflation rate of 0.5 percent, while oils and fats maintained their previous month’s inflation rate of 5.5 percent.
Laguna Posts Highest Inflation
Among the provinces and highly urbanized cities in CALABARZON, Laguna recorded the highest inflation rate at 9.2 percent in October.
Rizal followed with 8.1 percent, while Quezon registered 7.9 percent.
Cavite posted an inflation rate of 6.9 percent, followed by Lucena City at 6.3 percent and Batangas at 6.2 percent.
According to the PSA, inflation accelerated in five of the six provincial and city areas covered by the regional report, while Rizal maintained its previous month’s rate.
Purchasing Power Declines
The PSA also reported that the purchasing power of the peso in CALABARZON stood at 72 centavos in October 2026, based on 2018 prices.
This means that goods and services worth P1 in 2018 would require approximately P1.39 to purchase in October 2026.
The latest figures indicate continued pressure on household purchasing power as consumers contend with higher transportation, housing and food expenses.
The PSA said detailed consumer price indices and inflation rates by commodity, province and selected city are available through its OpenSTAT database.