Back to 2007 Press Release Index Page Number: 2007-23
Date Released: March 27, 2007
 
 
Total Trade by Month and Year
 
Total Growth Rate by Month and Year
 
Balance of Trade by Major Trading Partners
 
Philippine Imports from All Countries
 
Philippine Imports by Major Type of Goods
 
Philippine Imports Performance by Country

Foreign trade time series data
 
Other Foreign trade statistics
 
Technical Notes on the Foreign Trade Statistics
 
NSCB Resolution No. 8
 
Interim Methodology for the Revision of Electronics Import Statistics
 
Why the trade deficit was understated
by Cielito F. Habito, Ph.D

 
NSO's exports data: The inside story
 
Revision of Official Statistics - is it Cheating?
by Dr. Romulo A. Virola, NSCB

 

EXTERNAL TRADE PERFORMANCE
January 2007

(Preliminary)


 

    2007

2006
January p December  r January
 Total imports
   FOB Value (in Million US Dollars) 3,714.62 4,167.52 3,676.99
  Year-on-Year Growth (Percent) 1.0 -1.3 5.0
   Month-on-month Growth (Percent) -10.9 -7.8 -12.7
 Electronic products
   FOB Value (in Million US Dollars) 1,761.94 2,157.09 1,615.99
   Year-on-Year Growth (Percent) 9.0 0.1 -8.3
   Month-on-month Growth (Percent -18.3 -4.9 -24.3
 

p - preliminary
r - revised

Top 10 Philippine Imports from All Countries: January 2007
(Year-on-Year Growth in Percent)

Gainers Losers
Industrial Machinery and Equipment 65.8 Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials -29.6
Plastics in Primary and Non-Primary Forms 33.2 Textile Yarn, Fabrics, Made-up Articles and Related Products -17.0
Transport Equipment 26.3 Iron and Steel -4.5

Electronic Products

9.0

Telecommunication Equipment and Electrical Machinery

-4.3

Organic and Inorganic Chemicals 1.9 Metalliferous Ores and Metal Scrap

   -4.3

       

JANUARY 2007 TOTAL TRADE STANDS AT $7.702 BILLION

Total external trade in goods for January 2007 reached $7.702 billion, representing a 10.8 percent increment from $6.949 billion during the same month in 2006. Exports, on the other hand, registered an increase of 21.8 percent to aggregate dollar revenue of $3.987 billion from $3.272 billion in the previous year. Interestingly, balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) for the Philippines registered a surplus of $272.00 million, which is due to the trade surplus recorded by USA, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Germany and Malaysia.

Figure 1  Philippine Trade Performance in January : 2006 and 2007
(F.O.B. Value in Million US Dollar)
 
Figure 1a

 

JANUARY 2007 IMPORTS REGISTER 1.0 PERCENT INCREASE

Total imports for January 2007 inched-up by 1.0 percent to $3.715 billion from $3.677 billion during the same month last year.   Compared to last month, total imports went down by 10.9 percent from $4.168 billion in December 2006.

ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS ACCOUNT FOR 47.4 PERCENT OF IMPORT BILL

Accounting for 47.4 percent of the aggregate import bill, payments for Electronic Products amounted to $1.762 billion or 9.0 percent growth over last year's figure of $1.616 billion.  Compared to the previous month’s level, purchases shrank by 18.3 percent from $2.157 billion. Among the major groups of electronic products, Components/Devices (Semiconductors) had the biggest share of 37.6 percent, recording an increase of 9.2 percent to $1.395 billion from $1.278 billion during the same month in 2006.

 Imports of Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials in January ranked second with a 13.1 percent share.  However, it posted a negative growth of 29.6 percent to $486.25 million over the previous year’s level of $691.08 millionThis could be attributed to the low volume of importation on crude petroleum oil.

Transport Equipment, contributing 4.5 percent to the total bill, was the RP’s third top import for the month with payments placed at $166.00 million from last year’s $131.45 million or an increase of 26.3 percent.   The increase was due to the importation of new motor cars and other motor vehicles.

Industrial Machinery and Equipment, accounting for a 3.8 percent of the total imports, ranked fourth as foreign bill amounted to $142.26 million or a year-on-year growth of 65.8 percent from $85.83 million last year.

Plastics in Primary and Non-Primary Forms, ranked fifth comprising 2.1 percent of the total imports; registered $79.46 million worth of imports or an increase of 33.2 percent from its year ago level of $59.67 million. 

Organic and Inorganic Chemicals recorded a share of 2.1 percent at $79.32 million worth of imports, which grew by 1.9 percent from its year ago level of $77.87 million.

Rounding up the list of the top imports for January 2007 were Textile Yarn, Fabrics, Made-Up Articles and Related Products with $78.09 million worth of imports; Iron and Steel, $75.36 million; Telecommunication Equipment and Electrical Machinery, $58.55 million; and Metalliferous Ores and Metal Scrap, $53.01 million.

Aggregate payment for the country’s top ten imports for January 2007 reached $2.980 billion or 80.2 percent of the total bill.

Figure 2  Philippine Top Imports in January : 2006 and 2007
(F.O.B. Value in Million US Dollar)
  Figure 2

RAW MATERIALS AND INTERMEDIATE GOODS ACCOUNT FOR 46.1 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL IMPORTS

Accounting for 46.1 percent of the total imports, payments in January 2007 for Raw Materials and Intermediate Goods amounted to $1.711 billion or 12.0 percent increase over last year's figure of $1.528 billion.  Compared to the previous month’s level, purchases went down by 8.4 percent from $1.867 billion. Semi-Processed Raw Materials valued at $1.568 billion had the biggest share of 42.2 percent.

Capital Goods, which comprised 32.0 percent of the total imports, grew by 6.3 percent year-on-year, to $1.190 billion from $1.120 billion. The major share went to Telecommunication Equipment and Electrical Machinery with an 17.2 percent share of the total imports in January 2007 and billed at $638.14 million.

Mineral Fuels, Lubricants and Related Materials with a 13.1 percent share, decreased by 29.6 percent to $486.25 million from $691.08 million in January 2006.

Purchases of Consumer Goods amounted to $259.87 million or a decline of 4.9 percent from $273.25 million in January 2006, while Special Transactions inched-up by 4.5 percent to $67.73 million from $64.82 million.

Figure 3  Philippine Imports by Major Type of Goods in January: 2006 and 2007
Figure 3

UNITED STATES CORNERS 15.0 PERCENT OF JANUARY IMPORT BILL  

United States of America (USA) remained to be the country’s biggest source of imports for January 2007 with a 15.0 percent share of the total import bill. However, its total bill declined by 7.8 percent to $555.52 million in January 2007 from $602.48 million in January 2006.  Exports to USA amounted to $695.56 million, yielding a two-way trade value of $1.251 billion and a trade surplus for RP at $140.03 million.

Singapore toppled Japan as the second biggest source of imports with a 13.7 percent share, recording payments worth $509.86 million or a year-on-year growth of 45.5 percent. Revenue from RP’s exports to Singapore, on the other hand, reached $267.63 million, which generated a total trade value of $777.48 million and a $242.23 million deficit for the Philippines.

Japan, on the other hand, settled for third, accounting for 11.6 percent of the total import bill, down by 12.3 percent to $431.53 million from $492.25 million during the same month in 2006. Exports to Japan amounted to $606.87 million resulting to a total trade value of $1.038 billion and a trade surplus of 175.34 million.

Other major sources of imports for the month of January were Taiwan, $293.13 million; People’s Republic of China, $277.29 million; Republic of Korea, $235.81 million; Malaysia, $171.81 million; Hong Kong, $168.31 million; Ireland, $142.27 million;; and Thailand, $134.80 million.

Payments for imports from the top ten sources for the month amounted to $2.920 billion or 78.6 percent of the total.

Figure 4  Philippine Imports by Country in January: 2007
  Figure 4

Technical Notes:

1. Adjustments on electronic import statistics are based on the approved valuation methodology as per NSCB Resolution No. 8, Series of 2005 entitled “Approving and Adopting the 2004 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification” and the inclusion of transactions that pass through Automated Cargo Operating System (ACOS).

2. Starting this January 2007 Press Release, analysis and tables are based on 2004 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification (PSCC) groupings (as amended in 1999).  This is in compliance with   NSCB   Resolution No. 03, Series of 2005 entitled “Approving and Adopting the 2004 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification” by all concerned government agencies and instrumentalities.

(Sgd.) CARMELITA N. ERICTA
Administrator

 



  • Source:   Foreign Trade Statistics Section
                   Industry and Trade Statistics Department
                   National Statistics Office
                   Manila, Philippines


    Page last revised:   March 27, 2007