Table 3  Philippine Imports by Major Type of Goods
         January 2012 and December and January 2011
         (FOB in Thousand U.S. Dollars)

========================================================================================================================
                                                2012      |                  2011                   |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                              January p    |    December r      |    January         |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Imports                          5,133,543   100.00   4,633,316   100.00   5,302,439   100.00     10.80       (3.19)

Capital Goods                          1,325,899    25.83   1,266,018    27.32   1,377,932    25.99      4.73       (3.78)

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             276,193     5.38     295,802     6.38     315,651     5.95     (6.63)     (12.50)
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  155,786     3.03     137,244     2.96     156,507     2.95     13.51       (0.46)
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              692,758    13.49     662,942    14.31     748,509    14.12      4.50       (7.45)
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    97,017     1.89      69,640     1.50      99,247     1.87     39.31       (2.25)
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               63,201     1.23      60,109     1.30      16,838     0.32      5.14      275.34
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           40,944     0.80      40,281     0.87      41,180     0.78      1.65       (0.57)

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     1,915,477    37.31   1,750,151    37.77   2,381,242    44.91      9.45      (19.56)

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              244,295     4.76     231,298     4.99     287,590     5.42      5.62      (15.05)
       Wheat                              21,678     0.42     141,655     3.06      53,349     1.01    (84.70)     (59.37)
       Corn                               11,219     0.22       7,897     0.17       1,727     0.03     42.07      549.78
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                     1,074     0.02       1,420     0.03         539     0.01    (24.34)      99.30
       Crude materials, inedible         196,220     3.82      72,835     1.57     218,658     4.12    169.41      (10.26)
             Pulp & waste paper            3,810     0.07       3,078     0.07       8,601     0.16     23.78      (55.70)
             Cotton                        1,420     0.03       1,196     0.03       2,219     0.04     18.73      (36.01)
             Syn. Fibers                   5,171     0.10       9,290     0.20       7,856     0.15    (44.34)     (34.18)
             Metalliferous ores          135,993     2.65      23,022     0.50     149,364     2.82    490.72       (8.95)
             Others                       49,826     0.97      36,249     0.78      50,618     0.95     37.45       (1.57)
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            14,103     0.27       7,492     0.16      13,317     0.25     88.25        5.90
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,671,183    32.55   1,518,853    32.78   2,093,652    39.48     10.03      (20.18)
       Feeding stuffs for animals         66,594     1.30      66,123     1.43      63,286     1.19      0.71        5.23
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     45,063     0.88      52,797     1.14      24,370     0.46    (14.65)      84.91
       Chemical                          548,659    10.69     476,657    10.29     547,887    10.33     15.11        0.14
             Chemical compounds          151,510     2.95     117,422     2.53     137,251     2.59     29.03       10.39
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   64,942     1.27      65,252     1.41      81,478     1.54     (0.48)     (20.30)
             Urea                         16,565     0.32      35,891     0.77      25,644     0.48    (53.85)     (35.40)
             Fertilizer excl. urea        33,003     0.64      22,252     0.48      18,042     0.34     48.31       82.92
             Artificial resins           144,693     2.82     125,991     2.72     146,590     2.76     14.84       (1.29)
             Others                      137,947     2.69     109,848     2.37     138,882     2.62     25.58       (0.67)
       Manufactured goods                446,451     8.70     408,957     8.83     461,457     8.70      9.17       (3.25)
             Paper & paper products       68,131     1.33      54,393     1.17      56,553     1.07     25.26       20.47
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       57,973     1.13      56,203     1.21      64,381     1.21      3.15       (9.95)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                35,531     0.69      41,548     0.90      37,867     0.71    (14.48)      (6.17)
             Iron & steel                132,745     2.59     112,179     2.42     120,507     2.27     18.33       10.16
             Non-ferrous metals           58,941     1.15      47,379     1.02      77,953     1.47     24.40      (24.39)
             Metal products               55,769     1.09      61,656     1.33      64,153     1.21     (9.55)     (13.07)
             Others                       37,361     0.73      35,600     0.77      40,043     0.76      4.95       (6.70)
       Embroideries                        5,769     0.11       4,517     0.10       6,212     0.12     27.73       (7.13)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                       558,647    10.88     509,803    11.00     990,441    18.68      9.58      (43.60)
       Iron ore, not agglomerated             -        -           -        -           -        -         -           -

Mineral Fuels, Lubricant &
Related Materials                      1,320,881    25.73   1,049,471    22.65     909,023    17.14     25.86       45.31

  Coal, Coke                              61,466     1.20      50,817     1.10      38,554     0.73     20.96       59.43
  Petroleum crude                        881,526    17.17     589,833    12.73     560,015    10.56     49.45       57.41
  Others                                 377,888     7.36     408,820     8.82     310,454     5.85     (7.57)      21.72

Consumer Goods                           520,769    10.14     497,934    10.75     560,393    10.57      4.59       (7.07)

  Durable                                255,298     4.97     226,854     4.90     279,977     5.28     12.54       (8.81)
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle  136,940     2.67     109,791     2.37     157,496     2.97     24.73      (13.05)
       Home appliances                    20,480     0.40      22,673     0.49      25,518     0.48     (9.67)     (19.74)
       Misc. manufactures                 97,878     1.91      94,390     2.04      96,963     1.83      3.70        0.94
  Non-Durable                            265,471     5.17     271,080     5.85     280,416     5.29     (2.07)      (5.33)
       Food & live animals
         chiefly for food                242,688     4.73     247,055     5.33     263,130     4.96     (1.77)      (7.77)
             Dairy products               66,006     1.29      45,484     0.98      75,367     1.42     45.12      (12.42)
             Fish & fish preparation      15,573     0.30      10,516     0.23      14,592     0.28     48.09        6.72
             Rice                          8,231     0.16       1,265     0.03           b     0.00    550.79 3,563,114.72
             Fruits & vegetables          28,913     0.56      58,134     1.25      23,523     0.44    (50.26)       22.92
             Others                      123,965     2.41     131,656     2.84     149,647     2.82     (5.84)      (17.16)
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         6,090     0.12       8,634     0.19       3,228     0.06    (29.46)       88.68
       Articles of apparel, access.       16,693     0.33      15,391     0.33      14,058     0.27      8.46        18.74

Special Transactions                      50,516     0.98      69,742     1.51      73,849     1.39    (27.57)      (31.60)

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               16,166     0.31      22,667     0.49      20,416     0.39    (28.68)      (20.82)
  Others                                  34,351     0.67      47,075     1.02      53,434     1.01    (27.03)      (35.71)

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

         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
                  b  less than 1,000

         Page last updated:  March 27, 2012
         
Related press release | Foreign trade statistics index