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

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                                                         2008                  |       2007         |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                                  May p    |       April r      |        May         |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
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Total Imports                          4,782,988   100.00   4,856,218   100.00   4,296,137   100.00     (1.51)    11.33

Capital Goods                          1,193,785    24.96   1,365,674    28.12   1,220,190    28.40    (12.59)    (2.16)

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             210,800     4.41     233,453     4.81     181,612     4.23     (9.70)    16.07
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  255,596     5.34     251,543     5.18     205,096     4.77      1.61     24.62
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              583,311    12.20     647,577    13.34     630,018    14.66     (9.92)    (7.41)
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    59,272     1.24      59,611     1.23      48,589     1.13     (0.57)    21.99
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               39,438     0.82     137,527     2.83     102,229     2.38    (71.32)   (61.42)
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           45,367     0.95      35,963     0.74      52,646     1.23     26.15    (13.83)

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     1,706,566    35.68   1,842,675    37.94   1,823,065    42.43     (7.39)    (6.39)

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              127,133     2.66     216,318     4.45     129,727     3.02    (41.23)    (2.00)
       Wheat                              44,211     0.92      69,465     1.43      49,408     1.15    (36.36)   (10.52)
       Corn                                2,305     0.05       4,060     0.08       2,757     0.06    (43.23)   (16.40)
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                       689     0.01       1,195     0.02         622     0.01    (42.39)    10.64
       Crude materials, inedible          72,474     1.52     120,161     2.47      69,598     1.62    (39.69)     4.13
             Pulp & waste paper            6,184     0.13       5,662     0.12       6,067     0.14      9.21      1.92
             Cotton                        2,150     0.04       1,585     0.03       1,213     0.03     35.65     77.29
             Syn. Fibers                   4,671     0.10       4,831     0.10       6,477     0.15     (3.31)   (27.88)
             Metalliferous ores           21,082     0.44      55,870     1.15      16,601     0.39    (62.26)    26.99
             Others                       38,387     0.80      52,213     1.08      39,240     0.91    (26.48)    (2.17)
       Tobacco, unmanufactured             7,454     0.16      21,436     0.44       7,341     0.17    (65.23)     1.54
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,579,433    33.02   1,626,357    33.49   1,693,339    39.42     (2.89)    (6.73)
       Feeding stuffs for animals         44,305     0.93      62,727     1.29      33,909     0.79    (29.37)    30.66
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     16,131     0.34      21,349     0.44      13,053     0.30    (24.44)    23.58
       Chemical                          404,149     8.45     440,328     9.07     318,350     7.41     (8.22)    26.95
             Chemical compounds          107,142     2.24      94,291     1.94      83,207     1.94     13.63     28.76
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   58,950     1.23      56,918     1.17      54,421     1.27      3.57      8.32
             Urea                          5,442     0.11      31,109     0.64      19,605     0.46    (82.51)   (72.24)
             Fertilizer excl. urea        44,145     0.92      60,931     1.25       7,257     0.17    (27.55)   508.31
             Artificial resins            92,527     1.93      90,221     1.86      68,938     1.60      2.56     34.22
             Others                       95,943     2.01     106,858     2.20      84,921     1.98    (10.21)    12.98
       Manufactured goods                411,398     8.60     347,063     7.15     344,463     8.02     18.54     19.43
             Paper & paper products       50,284     1.05      39,789     0.82      36,713     0.85     26.38     36.97
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       57,182     1.20      62,205     1.28      90,823     2.11     (8.08)   (37.04)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                22,413     0.47      20,638     0.42      18,941     0.44      8.60     18.33
             Iron & steel                179,748     3.76     136,423     2.81      80,929     1.88     31.76    122.11
             Non-ferrous metals           47,812     1.00      39,793     0.82      55,818     1.30     20.15    (14.34)
             Metal products               32,453     0.68      27,965     0.58      39,887     0.93     16.05    (18.64)
             Others                       21,506     0.45      20,249     0.42      21,352     0.50      6.21      0.72
       Embroideries                       12,780     0.27      16,406     0.34      28,129     0.65    (22.10)   (54.56)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                       690,669    14.44     727,316    14.98     943,852    21.97     (5.04)   (26.82)
       Iron ore, not agglomerated              -       -       11,168     0.23      11,582     0.27   (100.00)  (100.00)

Mineral fuels, lubricant and
 Related materials                     1,178,988    24.65   1,037,361    21.36     785,783    18.29     13.65     50.04

  Coal, Coke                              15,113     0.32      19,136     0.39      27,983     0.65    (21.02)   (45.99)
  Petroleum crude                        746,067    15.60     597,794    12.31     503,294    11.72     24.80     48.24
  Others                                 417,808     8.74     420,431     8.66     254,507     5.92     (0.62)    64.16
Consumer Goods                           628,745    13.15     551,286    11.35     408,638     9.51     14.05     53.86
  Durable                                195,422     4.09     210,269     4.33     169,038     3.93     (7.06)    15.61
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle  106,713     2.23     108,718     2.24      88,228     2.05     (1.84)    20.95
       Home appliances                    21,367     0.45      21,114     0.43      18,131     0.42      1.20     17.84
       Misc. manufactures                 67,342     1.41      80,437     1.66      62,679     1.46    (16.28)     7.44
  Non-Durable                            433,323     9.06     341,017     7.02     239,601     5.58     27.07     80.85
       Food and live animals chiefly
         for food                        420,282     8.79     328,017     6.75     229,153     5.33     28.13     83.41
             Dairy products               59,740     1.25      43,428     0.89      65,564     1.53     37.56     (8.88)
             Fish & fish preparation       5,006     0.10      11,564     0.24       5,794     0.13    (56.71)   (13.61)
             Rice                        230,208     4.81     155,161     3.20      50,523     1.18     48.37    355.65
             Fruits & vegetables          17,145     0.36      16,962     0.35      13,555     0.32      1.08     26.48
             Others                      108,183     2.26     100,903     2.08      93,716     2.18      7.22     15.44
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         5,744     0.12       5,396     0.11       3,961     0.09      6.45     45.00
       Articles of apparel, access.        7,297     0.15       7,604     0.16       6,486     0.15     (4.03)    12.50

Special Transactions                      74,904     1.57      59,222     1.22      58,461     1.36     26.48     28.13

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               22,928     0.48      22,716     0.47      24,231     0.56      0.93     (5.38)
  Others                                  51,976     1.09      36,506     0.75      34,229     0.80     42.38     51.85

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         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:  July 25, 2008
         
Related press release | Foreign trade statistics index