Total exports increased from $3.212 billion in August 1999 to $3.529 in August 2000. This showed a gain of $317.92 million in one year. Electronics Components (EC), the leading export commodity for August 2000, had the biggest share to the total gains in export earnings. EC, with an aggregate value placed at $2.192 billion, increased by $198 million from $1.994 billion in 1999. It contributed 62.3 percent of the total growth in exports of $317.92 million. All other commodities which showed year-on-year gains contributed less than 10 percent to the growth. Coconut oil came in second with a contribution of 8.3 percent, while petroleum products came in third with a contribution of 5.2 percent. While coconut oil emerged only as the fifth top earner for the month, its export earnings increased to $53.04 million by an amount of $26.5 million over a year. Petroleum products, the sixth top export earner with receipts of $39.73 million, increased by $16.6 million or 5.2 percent of total gains in exports.

SEMI-CONS SLOWED DOWN BUT STILL THE MAJOR COMPONENT OF EC

• Comprising 54.9 percent of EC, exports of semi-conductor devices experienced a slowdown by 3.8 percent compared to its August 1999 sales. Comprising more than half of total export earnings from semi-conductor devices, those manufactured from materials on consignment basis which netted $1.129 billion was 4.0 percent lower than $1.176 billion a year ago.

• Micro-circuits, with a 17.8 percent share of EC, reported sales of $389.69 million which increased by 73.9 percent from $224.078 million last year. Its main contributing group was other monolithic digital integrated circuits valued at $235.30 million which was a 96.0 percent increase from $120.03 million last year.

• Receipts from other electronics components consisted mainly of finished electrical and electronic machinery and parts, manufactured from materials on consignment basis which accounted for 13.0 percent of EC and grew by 29.5 percent to $284.79 million from $219.89 million.

• Meanwhile, revenue for Input/Output/Peripheral Units valued at $281.75 million grew by 5.3 percent from $267.65 million a year ago.

Fig. 1. Leading Philippine Export : August 2000

US MARKET FOR 26.6 PERCENT OF EC EXPORTS

Exports of Electronics Components to the United States amounted to $584.03 million or 27.4 percent above $458.25 million last year. In terms of percentage share, the United States share also grew to 26.6 percent from 23.0 percent. Exports to Taiwan, declined by 5.0 percent to $260.67 million from $274.34 million last year as the share dropped to 11.9 percent from 13.8 percent. Revenues from Netherlands dipped 0.8 percent to $241.59 million from $243.42 million. Singapore and Japan reported increased shipments valued at $239.46 million and $215.72 million respectively.

Fig. 2. Leading Markets of Electronics Components: August 2000

CRUDE OIL TWO THIRDS OF COCO OIL EXPORTS

Revenues from coconut oil went up by 110.5 percent to $50.40 million from $23.94 million last year. About 69.9 percent of coconut oil exports were crude coconut oil while the remaining 30 percent were refined.

USA TOP MARKET FOR COCONUT OIL

The USA bought $29.11 million or 57.8 percent of the total export of Coconut Oil. The amount corresponds to a 107.0 percent increase over $14.06 million last year or a difference of $15.05 million. Netherlands followed with purchases valued at $13.35 million from nil a year back. Italy and Malaysia ranked third and fourth with respective receipts placed at $2.75 million and $1.89 million, respectively.

Fig. 3. Leading Markets of Coconut Oil: August 2000

PETROLEUM PRODUCTS EXPORTS CONTRIBUTE TO EXPORT GROWTH

Exports of Petroleum Products valued at $39.73 million went up by 71.9 percent from $23.11 million last year or an increase of $16.62 million. This was a contribution of 5.2 percent to total export gains. Petroleum Naphtha with a 46.4 percent share of total petroleum products rose as exports amounting to $18.43 million posted a 17.2 percent increase from $15.72 million a year back.

SINGAPORE ACCOUNTS FOR 50.6 PERCENT OF PETROLEUM PRODUCT EXPORTS

Singapore with purchases amounting to $20.11 million and accounting for a share of 50.6 percent led the top markets for Petroleum Products. The August 2000 figure for Singapore was a 278.0 percent increase over $5.32 million in 1999. Japan and Republic of Korea followed with payments valued at $8.09 million and $6.18 million respectively.

PHILIPPINE EXPORTS TO ALL COUNTRIES AUGUST 2000 AND AUGUST 1999
(F.O.B Value in Million U.S.Dollars)

=================================================================
          COMMODITY        Aug-00 | Aug-99 |ANNUAL|   INCREASE/
                                  |        |      |   DECREASE
                           F.O.B. | F.O.B. |  GR. |F.O.B.|Percent
                           Value  | Value  |RATE% |Value |
-----------------------------------------------------------------

           TOTAL          3,529.46 3,211.54   9.90 317.92

 1 Electronics Components 2,192.47 1,994.49   9.93 197.97   62.3
   a)  Micro - Circuits     389.69   224.08  73.91 165.61   52.1
   b)  Semi - Conductor   1,201.36 1,248.82  -3.80 -47.46  -14.9
   c)  Input/Output         281.75   267.65   5.27  14.10    4.4
       Peripheral Units
   d)  Other Electronics    319.67   253.95  25.88  65.72   20.7
       & Components
 2 Articles Of Apparel      244.86   251.82  -2.76  -6.96   -2.2
   and Clothing
   Accessories
 3 Ignition Wiring Set       53.04    51.37   3.27   1.68    0.5
   & Other Wiring Sets
   Used in Vehicles,
   Aircrafts and Ships
 4 Woodcrafts and            50.43    46.55   8.34   3.88    1.2
   Furniture
 5 Coconut Oil  3/           50.40    23.94 110.51  26.46    8.3
 6 Petroleum Products 1/     39.73    23.11  71.89  16.62    5.2
 7 Other Products            32.56    32.94  -1.15  -0.38   -0.1
   Manufactured from
   Materials Imported
   on Consignment Basis
 8 Metal Components          24.22    32.29 -24.99  -8.07   -2.5
 9 Bananas (Fresh)           22.80    18.14  25.70   4.66    1.5
10 Christmas Decor           16.59    15.15   9.52   1.44    0.5
11 Cathodes & Sections       14.75    14.10   4.56   0.64    0.2
   Of Cathodes,
   Of Refined Copper
12 Pineapple and Pine-       13.88    12.91   7.51   0.97    0.3
   apple Products
13 Tuna  4/                  12.95    10.92  18.60   2.03    0.6
14 Gold  2/                  12.55    17.96 -30.09  -5.40   -1.7
15 Shrimps and Prawns,       11.81    10.05  17.41   1.75    0.6
   Fresh, Chilled or
   Frozen
16 Transmission Apparatus     8.01     6.90  16.11   1.11    0.3
   with Reception for
   Radiotelephony, etc.
17 Iron Ore Agglomerates      7.71     9.66 -20.25  -1.96   -0.6
18 Basketworks                6.52     7.33 -11.07  -0.81   -0.3
19 Processed Tropical         5.58     5.74  -2.88  -0.17   -0.1
   Fruits
20 Dessicated Coconut         5.33     9.19 -42.02  -3.86   -1.2
21 Footwear                   4.17     6.44 -35.26  -2.27   -0.7
22 Ceramic Tiles And          3.18     5.13 -38.08  -1.95   -0.6
   Decor
23 Copra Oil Cake or Meal     3.11     1.30 138.80   1.81    0.6
24 Activated Carbon           2.85     3.21 -11.11  -0.36   -0.1
25 Seaweeds and Carageenan    2.79     7.01 -60.14  -4.21   -1.3
26 Fertilizers,               2.28     4.09 -44.21  -1.81   -0.6
   Manufactured
27 Copper Concentrates        2.03     1.88   8.19   0.15    0.0
28 Unmanufactured Tobacco     0.89     1.83 -51.55  -0.94   -0.3
29 Fine Jewelry               0.59     0.48  22.38   0.11    0.0
30 Sugar                       -        -      -     0.00    0.0
31 Others                   681.39   585.60  16.36  95.79   30.1

----------------------------------------------------------------

1/  includes crude and refined
2/  includes refined petroluem products, manufactures from crude
    petroleum oil imported on consignment basis
3/  includes fresh, frozen, prepared or preserved in airtight
    containers
4/  extracted from copper ores and concentrates

Note:   Growth rates were computed from actual values

Source: === NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE
            Trade Statistics Division