• Quantity of domestic trade drops

The total quantity of domestic trade during the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased to 3.95 million tons or by 45.4 percent, from 7.24 million tons in the same quarter a year ago. Almost all or 99.8 percent of the commodities were traded through water (coastwise) while the remaining commodities were through air. (Figure 1 and Table 1)

By commodity section, food and live animals topped in terms of quantity of domestic trade in the fourth quarter of 2019 with 1.21 million tons or 30.5 percent share to total. It was followed by commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere in the PSCC and mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials with 0.63 million tons (15.9%) and 0.54 million tons (13.8%), respectively. (Figure 2 and Table 1).

Regionwise, Bicol Region registered the highest quantity of traded commodities of 0.73 million tons or 18.5 percent share to total in the fourth quarter of 2019. NCR ranked second with a quantity of 0.69 million tons (17.3%) and MIMAROPA Region placed third 0.65 million tons (16.5%). (Figure 3 and Table 2)

• Value of domestic trade falls

Domestic trade value is equal to the outflow value which refers to the value of commodities that goes out from a specified region or province.

The total value of domestic trade during the fourth quarter of 2019 totaled to PhP127.76 billion. It went down by 27.8 percent from the PhP177.00 billion value recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018. (Figure 4 and Table 1)

Machinery and transport equipment led in terms of value of traded commodities with PhP54.23 billion or 42.4 percent share to total. It was followed by food and live animals and manufactured goods classified chiefly by material with values of  PhP20.75 billion (16.2%) and PhP13.85 billion (10.8%), respectively. (Figure 5 and Table 1).

Among the regions, NCR ranked first with value of PhP42.59 billion or 33.3 percent share to total value of domestic trade in the fourth quarter of 2019. Eastern Visayas ranked second with PhP27.40 billion (21.4%) and Northern Mindanao placed third with value of PhP12.27 billion (9.6%). (Figure 6 and Table 2).

• Caraga Region topped in terms of inflow value

Inflow refers to the total value of commodities that comes in to the specified region or province.

By region, Caraga posted the highest inflow value of PhP28.97 billion or 22.7 percent share to total inflow value of domestic trade. It was followed by Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao with inflow values of PhP27.77 billion (21.7%) and PhP13.25 billion (10.4%), respectively. Cagayan Valley, on the other hand, had the lowest inflow value of PhP3.0 million. (Figure 7 and Table 3)

• NCR registered the highest trade balance

Trade balance is the difference between the inflow value and outflow value, that is, outflow minus inflow.

The top three regions with favorable (positive)  trade balances were the following:

• NCR, PhP32.49 billion;
• Eastern Visayas, PhP15.55 billion; and
• Bicol Region, PhP8.21 billion.

(Figure 8)

Caraga, on the other hand, had the highest unfavorable (negative) trade balance value of PhP23.06 billion. (Table 3)

ROSALINDA P. BAUTISTA
Assistant Secretary
Deputy National Statistician
Sectoral Statistics Office

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Introduction

Commodity flow or domestic trade statistics is a compilation of data on commodities carried through land, air, rail, and water transport systems in a given country. However in the Philippines, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) compiles domestic trade carried through air and water only.

The PSA compiles domestic trade statistics from coasting manifests and coastwise passenger manifests from major ports and other active seaports listed by the Philippine Ports of Authority (PPA) all over the country. It also collects air waybills from Philippine Airlines (PAL) as source of domestic trade statistics from air. 

Data on the inflow and outflow of commodities in the different regions of the country are used to construct inter-regional and inter-industry relation tables.

All copies of documents are compiled and processed by the Provincial Statistical Offices of PSA. Final data review of the data files, generation of statistical tables, and preparation of Special Releases are done at the Central Office, particularly in the Trade Statistics Division (TSD) of the Economic Sector Statistics Service.

The 1993 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification (PSCC) Revision 2 is used to classify the commodities at the 5-digit level (item) for coastwise statistics and 3-digit level (group) for air statistics.

All documents received as of 15 February 2020 are processed and included in the generation of 2019 fourth quarter statistical tables. Documents received after the set deadline are included in the annual Special Release which is published 4 months after the reference year and in the publication (e-book) 6 months after the reference year.

Detailed data on domestic trade statistics are available at the TSD with telephone number (02) 8376-19-75.

Limitations of Domestic Trade Statistics

Domestic trade statistics contained in this report pertains to the flow of goods through airports and seaports in the country, whether for government or private use, or for commercial purposes. Domestic trade through land is excluded because of the absence of an approach to capture data in the archipelagic island of the country. Since 2007, rail transport statistics are also excluded due to the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Philippine National Railway (PNR).

Air waybills, on the other hand, are collected only from PAL which accounted for transactions that passes through all airports covered by PAL.

Goods and/or commodities that are excluded in the compilation of data are the following:

a. Goods transported by vessels of the Philippine Navy;

b. Fishing ports;

c. Fish and other marine products landed directly from the sea;

d. Logistics goods intended for the vessel and the crew;

e. Cadaver; and

f. Vessels not carrying any cargo/passenger, wherein the vessel master indicates "NIL CARGO / PASSENGER" in the coasting manifest or passenger documents.