Nueva Ecija’s Headline Inflation Rate Holds Steady at 0.8% in March 2025

Nueva Ecija’s annual inflation rate remained unchanged at 0.8% in March 2025, matching the rate recorded in February of the same year. This figure is significantly lower than the 6.4% inflation rate observed in March 2024, reflecting a notable decline in price pressures over the past year. (Table A and Figure 1)

Inflation Rates Across Central Luzon: March 2025

Among the provinces and highly urbanized cities (HUCs) in Central Luzon, Pampanga posted the highest inflation rate at 3.9% in March 2025, while Zambales recorded the lowest at negative 0.2%. Nueva Ecija ranked third-lowest in the region with an inflation rate of 0.8%. Meanwhile, Central Luzon’s overall annual inflation rate eased to 2.0%, down from 2.3% in February 2025. (Table A and Figure 2)

Headline Inflation

The inflation rate in Nueva Ecija remained stable at 0.8 percent in March 2025, unchanged from February 2025. However, several commodity groups saw slower annual growth:

•    Clothing and footwear: 1.9% (down from 2.0%)
•    Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels: -0.2% (down from 2.2%)
•    Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance: 2.6% (down from 3.0%)
•    Transport: -3.1% (down from -2.7%)
•    Recreation, sport, and culture: 1.8% (down from 2.9%)

In contrast, the following categories experienced higher inflation:

•    Food and non-alcoholic beverages: 1.5% (up from 0.1%)
•    Alcoholic beverages and tobacco: 2.5% (up from 2.2%)
•    Health: 2.8% (up from 2.7%)

Meanwhile, education services maintained a steady rate at 4.9 percent, while personal care and miscellaneous goods and services held at 1.4 percent.

Additionally, the indices for information and communication, restaurants and accommodation services, and financial services remained unchanged at 0.0 percent in March 2025.

Major Contributors to Headline Inflation

Nueva Ecija’s inflation in March 2025 was primarily influenced by the following commodity group:

a.    Food and non-alcoholic beverages with 70.9 percent share or 0.57 percentage points;
b.    Alcoholic beverages and tobacco with 22.2 percent share or 0.18 percentage points;
c.    Health with a 9.3 percent share or 0.07 percentage points; 
d.    Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance with a 7.7 percent share or 0.06 percentage points; and
e.    Education services with a 6.7 percent share or 0.05 percentage points. (Table C)
 

Food Inflation Expands to 1.5 Percent in March 2025

Food inflation in Nueva Ecija rose sharply to 1.5 percent in March 2025, marking a notable increase from 0.1 percent in February 2025. Despite this uptick, the current rate remains significantly lower than the 11.1 percent recorded in March 2024.

Key Drivers of the Decline in Food Inflation

The rise in Nueva Ecija’s food inflation in March 2025 was primarily driven by a faster annual increase in the price index for meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals, which climbed to 13.3 percent (from 12.2% in February 2025).

Contributing further to this uptrend were higher inflation rates across all other food categories, including:

•    Fish and other seafood: 4.8% (up from 3.7%)
•    Milk, other dairy products, and eggs: 7.7% (up sharply from 3.1%)
•    Fruits and nuts: 15.6% (up from 10.0%)
•    Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses: 5.3% (up from 1.6%)
•    Ready-made food and other food products, n.e.c.: 3.8% (up slightly from 3.5%)
•    Oils and fats: -1.3% (up from -1.9%)
•    Sugar, confectionery, and desserts: -1.0% (up from -1.8%)
•    Cereals and cereal products: -10.2% (up slightly from -10.3%) (Table D)
 

Major Contributors to Food Inflation

With a food inflation rate of 1.5 percent, the commodity group contributed 66.7 percent, or 0.53 percentage points, to Nueva Ecija’s overall inflation in March 2025. The food groups that made the highest contributions to food inflation during the month were:

a.    Meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals with 187.1 percent share or 2.81 percentage points;
b.    Fish and other seafood with 48.4 percent share or 0.73 percentage points;
c.    Milk, other dairy products, and eggs with 43.1 percent share or 
0.65 percentage points;
d.    Fruits and nuts with 33.8 percent share or 0.51 percentage points; and
e.    Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses with 28.3 percent share or 0.42 percentage points.(Table E)

Consumer Price Index Drops to 133.1 in March 2025

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed a favorable decline to 133.1 in March 2025, down from 134.2 in February 2025. This positive movement means that the purchasing power of the peso remains stable, with PhP100.00 in 2018 retaining an equivalent value of PhP133.10 in March 2025 – demonstrating a manageable 33.1% cumulative adjustment over the past seven years.

Encouragingly, while the CPI was slightly lower at 132.0 in March 2024, the current level still reflects a measured 1.1-point year-on-year increase, signaling continued economic balance amid global price trends. (Table F)

Nueva Ecija’s Peso Purchasing Power Remains Weak at PhP 0.75 in March 2025

Nueva Ecija’s Purchasing Power of the Peso (PPP) was held at a diminished PhP 0.75 in March 2025, showing no improvement from February 2025. This persistent erosion means that what could be bought for one peso in 2018 now requires PhP 1.33 (or 133 centavos) in March 2025 – effectively reflecting a 25% loss in the peso’s value over the seven-year period. The stagnant PPP suggests ongoing inflationary pressures affecting consumer affordability in the province. (Figure 3 and Table F)

Technical Notes

Approved for release:

GIRLIE G. DE GUZMAN
Officer-in-Charge
(Supervising Statistical Specialist)