Leyte and Tacloban City inflation rates jump in April 2026

By SAMAR NEWS.COM
May 13, 2026

CATBALOGAN CITY – Inflation in Leyte province and Tacloban City accelerated sharply in April 2026, driven primarily by surging transport costs, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Leyte (excluding Tacloban City)

The inflation rate for all income households in the province of Leyte (excluding Tacloban City) rose to 6.5% in April 2026, up from 3.8% in March 2026 and 1.5% a year earlier. The peso's purchasing power weakened to 0.75, meaning a peso in 2018 now buys only 75 centavos worth of goods and services.

Transport posted the largest increase, with its inflation rate climbing to 26.3% and contributing 58.7% to the overall uptrend. Food and non-alcoholic beverages rose to 6.2%, while housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels increased to 3.4%.

Tacloban City

Tacloban City recorded a slightly lower but still elevated inflation rate of 5.9% in April 2026, compared with 4.1% in March and 0.9% in April 2025. The purchasing power of the peso stood at 0.78.

As in the rest of Leyte province, transport was the top driver, although its inflation rate of 19.7% accounted for a smaller share (36.0%) of the overall increase. Food and non-alcoholic beverages reached 6.0%, while housing-related costs rose to 2.2%.

Broader trends

Across both areas, most commodity groups posted higher year-on-year price increases. Notable rises were also seen in health, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, and restaurants and accommodation services. The PSA noted that the reference period for the indices is 2018=100.

The data were released by the PSA Regional Statistical Services Office VIII on 11 May 2026.