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

========================================================================================================================
                                                         2008                  |       2007         |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                             December p    |    November r      |    December        |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
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Total Imports                          3,291,382   100.00   3,481,621   100.00   5,000,630   100.00    (5.46)    (34.18)

Capital Goods                            894,472    27.18   1,072,717    30.81   1,493,173    29.86   (16.62)    (40.10)

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             195,445     5.94     187,863     5.40     257,506     5.15     4.04     (24.10)
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  126,902     3.86     189,188     5.43     286,607     5.73   (32.92)    (55.72)
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              441,400    13.41     594,308    17.07     774,316    15.48   (25.73)    (42.99)
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    46,979     1.43      53,759     1.54      50,162     1.00   (12.61)     (6.35)
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               51,312     1.56      12,131     0.35      81,143     1.62   322.98     (36.76)
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           32,433     0.99      35,468     1.02      43,438     0.87    (8.56)    (25.34)

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     1,368,636    41.58   1,380,894    39.66   2,002,915    40.05    (0.89)    (31.67)

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              205,817     6.25     140,081     4.02     109,070     2.18    46.93      88.70
       Wheat                              91,026     2.77      32,695     0.94      23,198     0.46   178.41     292.38
       Corn                                  586     0.02       1,254     0.04         409     0.01   (53.26)     43.23
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                       387     0.01         748     0.02       1,059     0.02   (48.23)    (63.41)
       Crude materials, inedible          98,212     2.98      90,487     2.60      59,972     1.20     8.54      63.76
             Pulp & waste paper            1,646     0.05       2,549     0.07       5,674     0.11   (35.43)    (70.99)
             Cotton                        1,588     0.05       1,172     0.03         701     0.01    35.54     126.66
             Syn. Fibers                   4,776     0.15       5,581     0.16       7,306     0.15   (14.43)    (34.63)
             Metalliferous ores           48,591     1.48      34,341     0.99      20,644     0.41    41.50     135.38
             Others                       41,610     1.26      46,844     1.35      25,647     0.51   (11.17)     62.24
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            15,606     0.47      14,897     0.43      24,432     0.49     4.76     (36.13)
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,162,819    35.33   1,240,812    35.64   1,893,844    37.87    (6.29)    (38.60)
       Feeding stuffs for animals         46,862     1.42      40,465     1.16      69,020     1.38    15.81     (32.10)
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     12,425     0.38      18,717     0.54      15,455     0.31   (33.62)    (19.61)
       Chemical                          282,604     8.59     310,818     8.93     345,667     6.91    (9.08)    (18.24)
             Chemical compounds           75,595     2.30      82,076     2.36     108,919     2.18    (7.90)    (30.60)
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   41,601     1.26      46,070     1.32      40,623     0.81    (9.70)      2.41
             Urea                         18,449     0.56       3,418     0.10      13,121     0.26   439.72      40.60
             Fertilizer excl. urea        14,123     0.43       5,017     0.14      17,585     0.35   181.49     (19.68)
             Artificial resins            48,384     1.47      69,122     1.99      80,888     1.62   (30.00)    (40.18)
             Others                       84,453     2.57     105,115     3.02      84,532     1.69   (19.66)     (0.09)
       Manufactured goods                220,733     6.71     305,411     8.77     352,763     7.05   (27.73)    (37.43)
             Paper & paper products       23,304     0.71      40,232     1.16      37,112     0.74   (42.08)    (37.21)
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       37,064     1.13      53,101     1.53      65,111     1.30   (30.20)    (43.08)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                18,428     0.56      25,289     0.73      24,530     0.49   (27.13)    (24.88)
             Iron & steel                 74,697     2.27      83,057     2.39     126,546     2.53   (10.07)    (40.97)
             Non-ferrous metals           25,305     0.77      49,951     1.43      45,335     0.91   (49.34)    (44.18)
             Metal products               27,109     0.82      34,846     1.00      37,347     0.75   (22.20)    (27.41)
             Others                       14,826     0.45      18,935     0.54      16,781     0.34   (21.70)    (11.65)
       Embroideries                        7,508     0.23       9,256     0.27      18,246     0.36   (18.89)    (58.85)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                       592,688    18.01     556,145    15.97   1,084,983    21.70     6.57     (45.37)
       Iron ore, not agglomerated              -       -            -        -       7,710     0.15       -     (100.00)

Mineral Fuels, Lubricant &
Related Materials                        659,364    20.03     539,002    15.48   1,022,848    20.45    22.33     (35.54)

  Coal, Coke                              38,892     1.18      40,175     1.15      18,790     0.38    (3.19)    106.98
  Petroleum crude                        322,339     9.79     274,180     7.88     622,874    12.46    17.56     (48.25)
  Others                                 298,133     9.06     224,647     6.45     381,184     7.62    32.71     (21.79)
Consumer Goods                           339,035    10.30     444,003    12.75     416,997     8.34   (23.64)    (18.70)
  Durable                                148,934     4.52     196,270     5.64     185,720     3.71   (24.12)    (19.81)
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle   79,121     2.40     108,389     3.11      97,526     1.95   (27.00)    (18.87)
       Home appliances                    18,197     0.55      24,785     0.71      24,452     0.49   (26.58)    (25.58)
       Misc. manufactures                 51,616     1.57      63,096     1.81      63,742     1.27   (18.19)    (19.02)
  Non-Durable                            190,101     5.78     247,733     7.12     231,277     4.62   (23.26)    (17.80)
       Food & live animals
       chiefly for food                  177,806     5.40     235,163     6.75     217,217     4.34   (24.39)    (18.14)
             Dairy products               35,800     1.09      66,095     1.90      67,995     1.36   (45.84)    (47.35)
             Fish & fish preparation       6,729     0.20       5,515     0.16       9,695     0.19    22.01     (30.59)
             Rice                          9,855     0.30      20,134     0.58      19,998     0.40   (51.05)    (50.72)
             Fruits & vegetables          34,239     1.04      29,998     0.86      29,370     0.59    14.14      16.58
             Others                       91,183     2.77     113,421     3.26      90,159     1.80   (19.61)      1.14
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         6,256     0.19       5,023     0.14       5,919     0.12    24.55       5.70
       Articles of apparel, access.        6,039     0.18       7,548     0.22       8,141     0.16   (20.00)    (25.82)

Special Transactions                      29,875     0.91      45,005     1.29      64,697     1.29   (33.62)    (53.82)

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               14,498     0.44      18,284     0.53      22,201     0.44   (20.71)    (34.70)
  Others                                  15,377     0.47      26,721     0.77      42,496     0.85   (42.45)    (63.82)
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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:  February 25, 2009
         
Related press release | Foreign trade statistics index