The Philippines’ domestic trade maintained a positive performance in 2016, increasing 25% in quantity to 24.35 million tons from 19.49 million tons in 2015, according to the latest special report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The value of domestic trade in 2016 likewise rose, climbing 35.6% to P871.67 billion from P642.64 billion in 2015. The positive performance last year was a turnaround from the decreases recorded in 2015.
Water transport remained the main mode of transportation, accounting for 99.6% of total commodities flowing in the country last year. The remaining 0.4% was transported via air.
Food and live animals logged the highest quantity among all traded commodities with 6.61 million tons, while animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes had the least volume with less than 0.10 million tons.
In value terms, machinery and transport equipment posted the highest amount with P281.71 billion, while sharing the lowest value of P2.95 billion were animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes.
Among the regions, the National Capital Region (NCR) still registered the largest share in value, amounting to P275.64 billion or 31.6% of the total trade.
Central Visayas followed with transactions adding up to P141.65 billion. Placing third and fourth were Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas with P116.32 billion and P93.98 billion, respectively. Ilocos Region, on the other hand, contributed the least with only P1.52 million.
The Visayas group (Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas) topped in terms of domestic trade value for 2016 with P351.95 billion, or 40.3% of the total trade value in the country. It was followed by Luzon (Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Bicol Region) and Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and ARMM) with values of P350.12 billion and P169.60 billion, respectively.
Most traded in Luzon and Mindanao were food and live animals, while the top three commodity sections traded in the Visayas were machinery and transport equipment, food and live animals, and manufactured goods classified chiefly by material.
In 2016, total outflow value, or the total quantity and value of commodities which goes out of the specified region or province, registered at P871.67 billion, up 35.6% from the 2015 value of P642.64 billion.
In inflow value, or the total quantity and value of commodities coming into the specified region, Central Visayas led with P173.96 billion in 2016, which translates to a 19.9% share of all traded commodities. The Cordillera Administrative Region had the smallest inflow value of P10,000 in 2016.
In passenger traffic, a total of 30.90 million passengers were transported via coast in 2016, an increase of 50.9% from the 20.48 million passengers moved in 2015. Calabarzon had the highest number of passengers last year with 10.10 million. Central Visayas and MIMAROPA placed second and third with 6.92 million passengers and 3.67 million passengers, respectively.
In an earlier report, PSA said domestic trade dropped 9.5% in the first quarter of 2017, the first decline after recovering for a full year in 2016.
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