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.