Samar inflation surges to 13.3% in July 2026, fastest in Eastern Visayas

By SAMAR NEWS.COM
August 21, 2026

CATBALOGAN CITY – The pace of price increases in Samar province accelerated significantly in July 2026, with the inflation rate surging to 13.3 percent, the highest recorded rate in the Eastern Visayas region for the month.

According to the Special Release on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – Samar Provincial Statistical Office, the latest inflation rate marks a sharp increase from the 10.2 percent recorded in June 2026. Compared to the same period last year, when the province recorded a deflation of -0.5 percent, this represents a substantial 13.8 percentage point swing.

Samar’s year-to-date inflation now stands at 9.9 percent, which is notably higher than the regional average of 6.1 percent and the national average of 5.0 percent.

Food Prices Drive Acceleration

The primary driver of the accelerating inflation was the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages commodity group, which accounted for 87.7 percent of the total inflation. The inflation rate for this group rose to 13.4 percent in July, up by 5.4 percentage points from the previous month.

Data shows that the spike in food prices was largely fueled by:

- Cereals and Cereal Products: Inflation jumped from 18.2 percent in June to 28.6 percent in July

- Vegetables, Tubers, Plantains, and Pulses: Saw a drastic rise from 3.5 percent to 20.9 percent.

- Fish and Seafood: Increased from 9.0 percent to 11.1 percent.

Riza N. Moraleta, Chief Statistical Specialist of PSA Samar, highlighted that food inflation alone accelerated to 14.0 percent, up from 8.0 percent in June.

Other Key Contributors

Two other major commodity groups contributed to the upward trend:

1. Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels: Contributed 6.3 percent to the overall inflation, with the group’s rate settling at 14.3 percent.

2. Transport: Contributed 3.8 percent with an inflation rate of 30.4 percent (up 1.8 points from June), driven largely by passenger transport services.

Other sectors that exhibited upward price trends include Restaurants and Accommodation Services (12.0%), Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (9.8%), Health (8.9%), and Clothing and Footwear (4.6%).

Regional Comparison and Purchasing Power

Among the provinces in Eastern Visayas, Samar registered the highest inflation rate at 13.3 percent, followed by Biliran at 12.0 percent. In contrast, Leyte and Tacloban City recorded the lowest rates in the region at 6.3 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively.

The rapid rise in prices has eroded the purchasing power of the local currency. The Purchasing Power of the Peso (PPP) in Samar decreased to P0.69 in July 2026, down from P0.78 in July 2025. This indicates that one peso in 2018 is now worth only 69 centavos.