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

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                                                         2008                  |       2007         |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                            September p    |      August r      |   September        |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
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Total Imports                          4,863,651   100.00   5,041,613   100.00   4,743,796   100.00     (3.53)     2.53

Capital Goods                          1,401,241    28.81   1,474,857    29.25   1,530,596    32.27     (4.99)    (8.45)

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             259,608     5.34     246,475     4.89     213,242     4.50      5.33     21.74
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  245,446     5.05     248,475     4.93     329,377     6.94     (1.22)   (25.48)
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              755,714    15.54     735,370    14.59     850,778    17.93      2.77    (11.17)
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    55,067     1.13      61,775     1.23      68,746     1.45    (10.86)   (19.90)
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               41,596     0.86     130,526     2.59      21,686     0.46    (68.13)    91.81
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           43,811     0.90      52,236     1.04      46,767     0.99    (16.13)    (6.32)

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     1,785,705    36.72   1,751,114    34.73   2,091,672    44.09      1.98    (14.63)

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              181,118     3.72     127,192     2.52     143,739     3.03     42.40     26.01
       Wheat                              61,927     1.27       4,458     0.09      24,230     0.51  1,289.19    155.58
       Corn                                1,722     0.04       3,898     0.08       1,605     0.03    (55.82)     7.31
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                     1,035     0.02       1,176     0.02         310     0.01    (12.04)   233.74
       Crude materials, inedible          88,342     1.82      92,766     1.84     101,316     2.14     (4.77)   (12.81)
             Pulp & waste paper            4,659     0.10       5,268     0.10       4,108     0.09    (11.56)    13.42
             Cotton                        1,322     0.03       1,648     0.03         981     0.02    (19.82)    34.69
             Syn. Fibers                   8,911     0.18       5,542     0.11       6,176     0.13     60.80     44.28
             Metalliferous ores           35,327     0.73      22,574     0.45      60,055     1.27     56.49    (41.18)
             Others                       38,123     0.78      57,733     1.15      29,995     0.63    (33.97)    27.10
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            28,092     0.58      24,894     0.49      16,278     0.34     12.85     72.58
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,604,587    32.99   1,623,922    32.21   1,947,933    41.06     (1.19)   (17.63)
       Feeding stuffs for animals         57,555     1.18      41,174     0.82      38,893     0.82     39.78     47.98
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     26,393     0.54      20,999     0.42      11,165     0.24     25.69    136.39
       Chemical                          388,042     7.98     422,063     8.37     369,891     7.80     (8.06)     4.91
             Chemical compounds           96,015     1.97     123,627     2.45     108,117     2.28    (22.33)   (11.19)
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   57,851     1.19      60,052     1.19      54,570     1.15     (3.67)     6.01
             Urea                         16,575     0.34      13,416     0.27       8,851     0.19     23.55     87.26
             Fertilizer excl. urea        13,507     0.28      13,992     0.28      14,506     0.31     (3.46)    (6.89)
             Artificial resins            89,755     1.85      98,980     1.96      88,309     1.86     (9.32)     1.64
             Others                      114,337     2.35     111,996     2.22      95,537     2.01      2.09     19.68
       Manufactured goods                370,328     7.61     419,053     8.31     309,651     6.53    (11.63)    19.60
             Paper & paper products       44,861     0.92      52,552     1.04      37,563     0.79    (14.64)    19.43
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       60,666     1.25      53,727     1.07      64,629     1.36     12.92     (6.13)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                29,525     0.61      21,617     0.43      21,749     0.46     36.58     35.75
             Iron & steel                109,230     2.25     129,437     2.57      66,974     1.41    (15.61)    63.09
             Non-ferrous metals           69,877     1.44      64,104     1.27      65,308     1.38      9.01      7.00
             Metal products               30,547     0.63      71,515     1.42      32,633     0.69    (57.29)    (6.39)
             Others                       25,622     0.53      26,100     0.52      20,794     0.44     (1.83)    23.22
       Embroideries                        8,211     0.17       9,438     0.19      15,894     0.34    (13.01)   (48.34)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                       754,059    15.50     705,979    14.00   1,189,812    25.08      6.81    (36.62)
       Iron ore, not agglomerated              -       -        5,217     0.10      12,627     0.27   (100.00)  (100.00)

Mineral Fuels, Lubricant &
Related Materials                        970,320    19.95   1,019,269    20.22     637,765    13.44     (4.80)    52.14

  Coal, Coke                              25,173     0.52      27,362     0.54      19,671     0.41     (8.00)    27.96
  Petroleum crude                        630,841    12.97     599,729    11.90     391,103     8.24      5.19     61.30
  Others                                 314,306     6.46     392,177     7.78     226,991     4.78    (19.86)    38.47
Consumer Goods                           637,192    13.10     729,443    14.47     410,925     8.66    (12.65)    55.06
  Durable                                220,391     4.53     203,482     4.04     194,182     4.09      8.31     13.50
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle  126,137     2.59     113,936     2.26     113,727     2.40     10.71     10.91
       Home appliances                    26,694     0.55      20,011     0.40      18,931     0.40     33.40     41.01
       Misc. manufactures                 67,559     1.39      69,534     1.38      61,524     1.30     (2.84)     9.81
  Non-Durable                            416,801     8.57     525,962    10.43     216,742     4.57    (20.75)    92.30
       Food and live animals chiefly
         for food                        401,115     8.25     512,720    10.17     202,374     4.27    (21.77)    98.20
             Dairy products               53,183     1.09      51,973     1.03      50,086     1.06      2.33      6.18
             Fish & fish preparation       8,811     0.18       9,075     0.18       9,086     0.19     (2.91)    (3.03)
             Rice                        203,222     4.18     323,648     6.42      43,464     0.92    (37.21)   367.56
             Fruits & vegetables          21,625     0.44      16,668     0.33      12,058     0.25     29.74     79.34
             Others                      114,274     2.35     111,357     2.21      87,680     1.85      2.62     30.33
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         7,133     0.15       6,008     0.12       5,853     0.12     18.72     21.87
       Articles of apparel, access.        8,554     0.18       7,234     0.14       8,516     0.18     18.25      0.45

Special Transactions                      69,193     1.42      66,930     1.33      72,839     1.54      3.38     (5.01)

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               28,631     0.59      27,366     0.54      23,960     0.51      4.62     19.49
  Others                                  40,562     0.83      39,564     0.78      48,879     1.03      2.52    (17.02)

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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:  November 26, 2008
         
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