Year-on-year headline inflation rate for all items in the Philippines was estimated at 4.3 percent in the first month of 2010, lower by 0.1 percentage point from 4.4 percent in December 2009, as reported by the National Statistics Office (NSO).  Similarly, in the National Capital Region (NCR) and areas outside NCR (AONCR), the year-on-year headline inflation rates slowed down to 3.6 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively, from 4.0 percent and 4.5 percent in the previous month.  The core inflation rate for January 2010 was recorded at 3.0 percent. 

The seasonally adjusted consumer price index (SACPI) for Food, Beverages and Tobacco (FBT) in the NCR in January 2010 posted a month-on-month rate of -0.6 percent from its previous month’s rate of 0.1 percent.  However, the SACPI for non-FBT remained at 0.7 percent in January 2010.  In AONCR, the month-on-month inflation of the SACPI for FBT and non-FBT both slowed down to 0.1 percent and 0.6 percent in January 2010 from 0.7 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively, in December 2009.

The generation of the CPI, inflation rates based on the CPI and the seasonally-adjusted CPI are designated statistical activities of the NSO under Executive Order 352, Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector, issued on July 1, 1996.  Per EO, data on CPI and seasonally adjusted CPI should be made available five days and ten days, respectively, after the reference month.  The NSO released the January 2010 CPI on February 5, 2010, as scheduled in EO 352 while the seasonally adjusted CPI was released five days in advance, as per EO 352.  The CPI uses 2000 as base year.

For further inquiries on the CPI, please contact Ms. Rosie B. Sta. Ana, Chief of the Economic Indicators and Indices Division of the NSO, at telefax number 716-3935 or e-mail address R.Staana@census.gov.ph.

Links to data sources:
http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2010/cp1001tx.html
http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2010/cpsa1001tx.html