Export earnings in June 2012 amounting to $4.310 billion went up by 4.2 percent from $4.135 billion recorded in June of 2011. However, on a monthly basis, it decreased by 12.6 percent from $4.932 billion posted in May 2012. Cumulative merchandise exports for the first semester of 2012 on the other hand, showed a 7.7 percent increase to $26.753 billion from $24.846 billion posted during the first semester of 2011.

Total external trade in goods for May 2012 reached $10.318 billion, representing a 14.5 percent increase from $9.011 billion recorded during the same month in 2011. This was due to the 10.1 percent increase in total imports to $5.386 billion from $4.893 billion in May 2011. Similarly, exports increased by 19.7 percent to $4.932 billion from $4.119 billion in the same month a year ago. Thus, the balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) for the Philippines in May 2012 registered a deficit of $454 million from $774 million deficit in the same period last year.