Table 3  Philippine Imports by Major Type of Goods
         January 2008 December and January 2007
         (FOB in Thousand U.S. Dollars)

========================================================================================================================
                                                2008      |                  2007                   |   Growth Rate
Commodity Group                              January p    |    December r      |     January r      |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Imports                          4,986,807   100.00   5,000,630   100.00   3,904,161   100.00     (0.28)    27.73

Capital Goods                          1,366,864    27.41   1,493,173    29.86   1,285,168    32.92     (8.46)     6.36

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             188,480     3.78     257,506     5.15     178,467     4.57    (26.81)     5.61
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  250,547     5.02     286,607     5.73     267,188     6.84    (12.58)    (6.23)
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              822,460    16.49     774,316    15.48     701,100    17.96      6.22     17.31
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    44,973     0.90      50,162     1.00      53,891     1.38    (10.34)   (16.55)
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               19,631     0.39      81,143     1.62      53,763     1.38    (75.81)   (63.49)
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           40,774     0.82      43,438     0.87      30,759     0.79     (6.13)    32.56

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     2,177,692    43.67   2,002,915    40.05   1,798,282    46.06      8.73     21.10

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              143,320     2.87     109,070     2.18     143,192     3.67     31.40      0.09
       Wheat                              37,991     0.76      23,198     0.46      22,008     0.56     63.77     72.63
       Corn                                  462     0.01         409     0.01         311     0.01     12.93     48.75
       Unmilled cereals excl. rice & corn  1,336     0.03       1,059     0.02         670     0.02     26.25     99.53
       Crude materials, inedible          92,139     1.85      59,972     1.20      99,045     2.54     53.64     (6.97)
             Pulp & waste paper            5,874     0.12       5,674     0.11       5,451     0.14      3.51      7.75
             Cotton                        1,975     0.04         701     0.01       1,641     0.04    181.92     20.35
             Syn. Fibers                   6,097     0.12       7,306     0.15       5,578     0.14    (16.55)     9.32
             Metalliferous ores           48,781     0.98      20,644     0.41      53,057     1.36    136.30     (8.06)
             Others                       29,412     0.59      25,647     0.51      33,319     0.85     14.68    (11.72)
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            11,391     0.23      24,432     0.49      21,158     0.54    (53.38)   (46.16)
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         2,034,372    40.80   1,893,844    37.87   1,655,090    42.39      7.42     22.92
       Feeding stuffs for animals         29,191     0.59      69,020     1.38      49,414     1.27    (57.71)   (40.92)
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     16,818     0.34      15,455     0.31      15,341     0.39      8.82      9.63
       Chemical                          378,982     7.60     345,667     6.91     312,907     8.01      9.64     21.12
             Chemical compounds          106,734     2.14     108,919     2.18      79,718     2.04     (2.01)    33.89
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   48,135     0.97      40,623     0.81      47,398     1.21     18.49      1.55
             Urea                         16,250     0.33      13,121     0.26      10,590     0.27     23.85     53.45
             Fertilizer excl. urea        24,865     0.50      17,585     0.35       9,261     0.24     41.40    168.49
             Artificial resins            96,174     1.93      80,888     1.62      82,748     2.12     18.90     16.23
             Others                       86,825     1.74      84,532     1.69      83,192     2.13      2.71      4.37
       Manufactured goods                324,771     6.51     352,763     7.05     305,908     7.84     (7.94)     6.17
             Paper & paper products       39,796     0.80      37,112     0.74      36,802     0.94      7.23      8.14
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       62,688     1.26      65,111     1.30      68,276     1.75     (3.72)    (8.18)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                21,397     0.43      24,530     0.49      16,062     0.41    (12.77)    33.22
             Iron & steel                106,442     2.13     126,546     2.53      77,780     1.99    (15.89)    36.85
             Non-ferrous metals           42,822     0.86      45,335     0.91      46,582     1.19     (5.54)    (8.07)
             Metal products               28,653     0.57      37,347     0.75      39,630     1.02    (23.28)   (27.70)
             Others                       22,972     0.46      16,781     0.34      20,776     0.53     36.89     10.57
       Embroideries                       13,533     0.27      18,246     0.36      16,793     0.43    (25.83)   (19.41)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                     1,271,076    25.49   1,084,983    21.70     946,788    24.25     17.15     34.25
       Iron ore, not agglomerated              -        -       7,710     0.15       7,940     0.20   (100.00)  (100.00)

Mineral fuels, lubricant and
 Related materials                     1,022,525    20.50   1,022,848    20.45     485,638    12.44     (0.03)   110.55

  Coal, Coke                              19,011     0.38      18,790     0.38      22,502     0.58      1.18    (15.51)
  Petroleum crude                        655,962    13.15     622,874    12.46     256,745     6.58      5.31    155.49
  Others                                 347,552     6.97     381,184     7.62     206,391     5.29     (8.82)    68.39
Consumer Goods                           353,498     7.09     416,992     8.34     266,656     6.83    (15.23)    32.57
  Durable                                157,842     3.17     185,715     3.71     139,063     3.56    (15.01)    13.50
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle   74,388     1.49      97,526     1.95      66,775     1.71    (23.72)    11.40
       Home appliances                    22,275     0.45      24,452     0.49      18,460     0.47     (8.90)    20.66
       Misc. manufactures                 61,179     1.23      63,737     1.27      53,828     1.38     (4.01)    13.66
  Non-Durable                            195,656     3.92     231,277     4.62     127,593     3.27    (15.40)    53.34
       Food and live animals chiefly
         for food                        182,390     3.66     217,217     4.34     116,610     2.99    (16.03)    56.41
             Dairy products               71,852     1.44      67,995     1.36      37,866     0.97      5.67     89.75
             Fish & fish preparation      12,331     0.25       9,695     0.19       5,222     0.13     27.19    136.15
             Rice                          2,263     0.05      19,998     0.40         383     0.01    (88.68)   491.02
             Fruits & vegetables          16,748     0.34      29,370     0.59      13,737     0.35    (42.98)    21.92
             Others                       79,195     1.59      90,159     1.80      59,402     1.52    (12.16)    33.32
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         4,806     0.10       5,919     0.12       1,776     0.05    (18.79)   170.66
       Articles of apparel, access.        8,459     0.17       8,141     0.16       9,207     0.24      3.91     (8.13)

Special Transactions                      66,227     1.33      64,702     1.29      68,416     1.75      2.36     (3.20)

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               19,830     0.40      22,201     0.44      33,110     0.85    (10.68)   (40.11)
  Others                                  46,397     0.93      42,501     0.85      35,306     0.90      9.17     31.42

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

 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:  March 26, 2008
 
Related press release | Foreign trade statistics index