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

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                                                         2008                  |       2007         |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                             November p    |     October r      |    November        |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
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Total Imports                          3,481,608   100.00   4,577,343   100.00   5,084,213   100.00   (23.94)   (31.52)

Capital Goods                          1,072,662    30.81   1,440,371    31.47   1,517,599    29.85   (25.53)   (29.32)

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             187,811     5.39     217,211     4.75     215,688     4.24   (13.54)   (12.92)
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  189,187     5.43     239,198     5.23     312,387     6.14   (20.91)   (39.44)
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              594,306    17.07     763,907    16.69     812,842    15.99   (22.20)   (26.89)
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    53,759     1.54      51,932     1.13      61,472     1.21     3.52    (12.55)
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               12,131     0.35     122,446     2.68      65,304     1.28   (90.09)   (81.42)
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           35,468     1.02      45,677     1.00      49,905     0.98   (22.35)   (28.93)

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     1,380,626    39.65   1,712,774    37.42   2,055,467    40.43   (19.39)   (32.83)

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              140,087     4.02     160,713     3.51     175,738     3.46   (12.83)   (20.29)
       Wheat                              32,695     0.94      44,646     0.98      56,974     1.12   (26.77)   (42.61)
       Corn                                1,254     0.04       2,320     0.05       1,264     0.02   (45.96)    (0.77)
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                       748     0.02         715     0.02         851     0.02     4.60    (12.05)
       Crude materials, inedible          90,493     2.60      96,084     2.10     102,274     2.01    (5.82)   (11.52)
             Pulp & waste paper            2,549     0.07       5,204     0.11       4,106     0.08   (51.02)   (37.92)
             Cotton                        1,172     0.03       1,490     0.03       1,270     0.02   (21.36)    (7.78)
             Syn. Fibers                   5,581     0.16       4,495     0.10       7,232     0.14    24.17    (22.82)
             Metalliferous ores           34,347     0.99      35,141     0.77      40,147     0.79    (2.26)   (14.45)
             Others                       46,844     1.35      49,754     1.09      49,520     0.97    (5.85)    (5.40)
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            14,897     0.43      16,947     0.37      14,376     0.28   (12.10)     3.63
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,240,540    35.63   1,552,061    33.91   1,879,729    36.97   (20.07)   (34.00)
       Feeding stuffs for animals         40,465     1.16      58,737     1.28      42,362     0.83   (31.11)    (4.48)
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     18,772     0.54      13,789     0.30      11,398     0.22    36.13     64.69
       Chemical                          310,757     8.93     421,222     9.20     330,666     6.50   (26.22)    (6.02)
             Chemical compounds           82,070     2.36     111,965     2.45      85,153     1.67   (26.70)    (3.62)
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   46,069     1.32      59,031     1.29      51,748     1.02   (21.96)   (10.97)
             Urea                          3,418     0.10      10,741     0.23       5,827     0.11   (68.18)   (41.34)
             Fertilizer excl. urea         5,017     0.14      31,117     0.68      14,675     0.29   (83.88)   (65.81)
             Artificial resins            69,122     1.99      94,310     2.06      84,456     1.66   (26.71)   (18.16)
             Others                      105,060     3.02     114,060     2.49      88,806     1.75    (7.89)    18.30
       Manufactured goods                305,448     8.77     380,203     8.31     342,445     6.74   (19.66)   (10.80)
             Paper & paper products       40,232     1.16      50,618     1.11      36,460     0.72   (20.52)    10.34
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       53,101     1.53      56,243     1.23      64,661     1.27    (5.59)   (17.88)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                25,277     0.73      27,802     0.61      21,453     0.42    (9.08)    17.83
             Iron & steel                 83,056     2.39     110,616     2.42     107,677     2.12   (24.91)   (22.87)
             Non-ferrous metals           49,951     1.43      70,574     1.54      49,968     0.98   (29.22)    (0.03)
             Metal products               34,896     1.00      38,446     0.84      40,443     0.80    (9.24)   (13.72)
             Others                       18,935     0.54      25,904     0.57      21,783     0.43   (26.90)   (13.07)
       Embroideries                        9,256     0.27       9,555     0.21      18,102     0.36    (3.12)   (48.86)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                       555,842    15.97     668,554    14.61   1,131,158    22.25   (16.86)   (50.86)
       Iron ore, not agglomerated              -        -           -       -        3,599     0.07        -   (100.00)

Mineral Fuels, Lubricant &
Related Materials                        539,002    15.48     903,538    19.74     961,914    18.92   (40.35)   (43.97)

  Coal, Coke                              40,175     1.15      47,663     1.04      17,132     0.34   (15.71)   134.50
  Petroleum crude                        274,180     7.88     572,357    12.50     665,857    13.10   (52.10)   (58.82)
  Others                                 224,647     6.45     283,519     6.19     278,925     5.49   (20.76)   (19.46)
Consumer Goods                           444,003    12.75     466,666    10.20     476,090     9.36    (4.86)    (6.74)
  Durable                                196,271     5.64     229,715     5.02     211,398     4.16   (14.56)    (7.16)
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle  108,388     3.11     131,751     2.88     118,789     2.34   (17.73)    (8.76)
       Home appliances                    24,786     0.71      27,634     0.60      30,320     0.60   (10.31)   (18.25)
       Misc. manufactures                 63,097     1.81      70,330     1.54      62,289     1.23   (10.28)     1.30
  Non-Durable                            247,732     7.12     236,951     5.18     264,692     5.21     4.55     (6.41)
       Food & live animals
       chiefly for food                  235,161     6.75     223,376     4.88     247,239     4.86     5.28     (4.89)
             Dairy products               66,095     1.90      63,362     1.38      73,628     1.45     4.31    (10.23)
             Fish & fish preparation       5,515     0.16       8,851     0.19      13,611     0.27   (37.69)   (59.48)
             Rice                         20,134     0.58      26,976     0.59      61,298     1.21   (25.36)   (67.15)
             Fruits & vegetables          29,998     0.86      22,618     0.49      15,625     0.31    32.63     91.99
             Others                      113,420     3.26     101,569     2.22      83,077     1.63    11.67     36.52
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         5,023     0.14       6,216     0.14       8,840     0.17   (19.19)   (43.18)
       Articles of apparel, access.        7,548     0.22       7,359     0.16       8,613     0.17     2.56    (12.37)

Special Transactions                      45,315     1.30      53,993     1.18      73,143     1.44   (16.07)   (38.05)

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               18,554     0.53      24,508     0.54      25,006     0.49   (24.30)   (25.80)
  Others                                  26,761     0.77      29,484     0.64      48,137     0.95    (9.23)   (44.41)

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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:  January 27, 2009
         
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