Table 3  Philippine Imports by Major Type of Goods
         December and November 2007 and December 2006
         (FOB in Thousand U.S. Dollars)

========================================================================================================================
                                                         2007                  |       2006         |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                             December p    |    November r      |     December       |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Imports                          5,000,582   100.00   5,082,983   100.00   4,178,474   100.00    (1.62)     19.67

Capital Goods                          1,493,101    29.86   1,472,792    28.97   1,424,045    34.08     1.38       4.85

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             256,537     5.13     216,476     4.26     179,119     4.29    18.51      43.22
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  287,489     5.75     313,731     6.17     260,267     6.23    (8.36)     10.46
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              774,323    15.48     816,338    16.06     816,773    19.55    (5.15)     (5.20)
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    50,166     1.00      61,574     1.21      60,221     1.44   (18.53)    (16.70)
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               81,143     1.62      14,555     0.29      65,098     1.56   457.50      24.65
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           43,441     0.87      50,119     0.99      42,567     1.02   (13.32)      2.05

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     2,002,623    40.05   2,093,996    41.20   1,796,121    42.99    (4.36)     11.50

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              109,070     2.18     176,340     3.47     126,589     3.03   (38.15)    (13.84)
       Wheat                              23,198     0.46      57,219     1.13      36,250     0.87   (59.46)    (36.00)
       Corn                                  409     0.01       1,269     0.02         587     0.01   (67.76)    (30.24)
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                     1,059     0.02         854     0.02         602     0.01    23.89      75.81
       Crude materials, inedible          59,972     1.20     102,560     2.02      74,536     1.78   (41.53)    (19.54)
             Pulp & waste paper            5,674     0.11       4,123     0.08       4,601     0.11    37.61      23.33
             Cotton                          701     0.01       1,276     0.03       1,788     0.04   (45.09)    (60.82)
             Syn. Fibers                   7,306     0.15       7,263     0.14       5,561     0.13     0.60      31.38
             Metalliferous ores           20,644     0.41      40,319     0.79      33,176     0.79   (48.80)    (37.77)
             Others                       25,646     0.51      49,578     0.98      29,409     0.70   (48.27)    (12.80)
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            24,432     0.49      14,438     0.28      14,614     0.35    69.23      67.18
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,893,553    37.87   1,917,656    37.73   1,669,533    39.96    (1.26)     13.42
       Feeding stuffs for animals         69,020     1.38      41,468     0.82      35,641     0.85    66.44      93.66
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     15,456     0.31      11,447     0.23      11,873     0.28    35.02      30.18
       Chemical                          345,672     6.91     330,486     6.50     252,654     6.05     4.59      36.82
             Chemical compounds          108,924     2.18      85,519     1.68      58,736     1.41    27.37      85.45
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   40,623     0.81      51,971     1.02      32,456     0.78   (21.84)     25.16
             Urea                         13,121     0.26       4,355     0.09       4,309     0.10   201.30     204.53
             Fertilizer excl. urea        17,585     0.35      14,738     0.29      11,632     0.28    19.31      51.18
             Artificial resins            80,888     1.62      84,819     1.67      74,087     1.77    (4.64)      9.18
             Others                       84,531     1.69      89,084     1.75      71,435     1.71    (5.11)     18.33
       Manufactured goods                352,765     7.05     343,718     6.76     303,821     7.27     2.63      16.11
             Paper & paper products       37,112     0.74      36,617     0.72      30,140     0.72     1.35      23.13
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       65,111     1.30      64,939     1.28      71,084     1.70     0.26      (8.40)
             Non-metallic mineral manuf.  24,530     0.49      21,545     0.42      15,575     0.37    13.85      57.50
             Iron & steel                126,546     2.53     108,043     2.13      84,590     2.02    17.13      49.60
             Non-ferrous metals           45,314     0.91      50,183     0.99      45,002     1.08    (9.70)      0.69
             Metal products               37,376     0.75      40,515     0.80      37,075     0.89    (7.75)      0.81
             Others                       16,776     0.34      21,876     0.43      20,355     0.49   (23.32)    (17.58)
       Embroideries                       18,246     0.36      18,179     0.36      19,633     0.47     0.37      (7.06)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                     1,084,683    21.69   1,168,743    22.99   1,039,838    24.89    (7.19)      4.31
       Iron ore, not agglomerated          7,710     0.15       3,614     0.07       6,074     0.15   113.32      26.93

Mineral Fuels,
Lubricant & Related Materials          1,022,844    20.45     964,776    18.98     536,701    12.84     6.02      90.58

  Coal, Coke                              18,790     0.38      15,930     0.31       9,432     0.23    17.95      99.22
  Petroleum crude                        622,872    12.46     668,721    13.16     352,989     8.45    (6.86)     76.46
  Others                                 381,182     7.62     280,124     5.51     174,280     4.17    36.08     118.72
Consumer Goods                           417,004     8.34     477,962     9.40     306,945     7.35   (12.75)     35.86
  Durable                                185,728     3.71     212,132     4.17     151,358     3.62   (12.45)     22.71
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle   97,526     1.95     119,287     2.35      72,662     1.74   (18.24)     34.22
       Home appliances                    24,458     0.49      30,451     0.60      20,285     0.49   (19.68)     20.57
       Misc. manufactures                 63,744     1.27      62,394     1.23      58,412     1.40     2.16       9.13
  Non-Durable                            231,276     4.62     265,830     5.23     155,587     3.72   (13.00)     48.65
       Food and live animals chiefly
         for food                        217,196     4.34     248,302     4.88     143,217     3.43   (12.53)     51.65
             Dairy products               67,994     1.36      73,945     1.45      36,224     0.87    (8.05)     87.71
             Fish & fish preparation       9,695     0.19      13,669     0.27       7,765     0.19   (29.07)     24.85
             Rice                         19,998     0.40      61,562     1.21         383     0.01   (67.52)  5,120.07
             Fruits & vegetables          29,370     0.59      15,692     0.31      23,812     0.57    87.17      23.34
             Others                       90,138     1.80      83,434     1.64      75,033     1.80     8.03      20.13
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         5,919     0.12       8,878     0.17       6,348     0.15   (33.33)     (6.76)
       Articles of apparel, access.        8,162     0.16       8,650     0.17       6,021     0.14    (5.65)     35.55

Special Transactions                      65,010     1.30      73,457     1.45     114,661     2.74   (11.50)    (43.30)

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               22,535     0.45      25,113     0.49      20,421     0.49   (10.26)     10.35
  Others                                  42,474     0.85      48,344     0.95      94,240     2.26   (12.14)    (54.93)

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

   Source:  Foreign Trade Statistics Section
            Industry and Trade Statistics Department
            National Statistics Office
            Republic of the Philippines

   Note:    Components may not add up to total due to rounding.
            p  Preliminary
            r  Revised

   Page last updated:  February 26, 2008
   
Related press release | Foreign trade statistics index