In a recent forum held at the Eagle’s Hotel of this town, Provincial Statistics Officer and Chief Statistical Specialist Randy M. Tacogdoy considered this event as a way of bringing statistics on inflation into the forefront for everyone to appreciate the use of data and its significance to the economy of the province.

For September, Antique’s inflation rate was reported at 6.5 percent, a bit higher than the rate in the previous month which was 4.9 percent, but quite lower than the inflation rate in September 2022 which is 9.5 percent.

The sectors heavily contributing to the recent figure of local inflation are food and non-alcoholic beverages with an inflation rate of 12 percent, alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 8.7 percent, restaurant and accommodation services at 6.7 percent, clothing and footwear at 6.1 percent, and 4.7 percent for health.

Other commodity groups that contributed to the inflation rate in September with less than three percent are education at 2.5 percent; personal care, miscellaneous goods, and services at 2.4 percent; furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance at 1.3 percent; information and communication with 0.8 percent contribution; and transport at 0.2 percent.

PSA translated their statistical figures into user-friendly graphics so the laypeople could have a better grasp of the economic consequences of inflation and recommend ways to address the rising inflation rate.

Information officers and other government employees who are members of the Antique Provincial Statistics Committee also participated in the activity. (PSM/PIA Antique)