The balance of trade in goods (BoT-G) in February 2025 recorded a deficit of USD 221.80 million, reflecting a wider trade gap compared to the USD 166.26 million deficit in the same month of 2024. Imports accounted for the majority or 99.3 percent of Eastern Visayas' total external trade, while exports comprised the remaining 0.7 percent. The total external trade in goods of Eastern Visayas in February 2025 was recorded at USD 225.04 million, posting a 50.8 percent decline from the USD 457.01 million total trade recorded in February 2024. The total value of exports dived by 98.9 percent from the USD 145.38 million exports in February 2024 to USD 162 million in February 2025, while the total value of imports was posted at USD 223.42 million in February 2025, which registered a 28.3 percent decrease from USD 311.63 million in the same month of the previous year.

Eastern Visayas’ total value of exports was recorded at USD 1.62 million in February 2025, which indicated a major decline from the USD 145.38 million value of exports in in the same month of the previous year. Meanwhile, total value of imports also decreased to USD 223.42 million from USD 284.62 million recorded in February 2024.

The total volume of goods exported by the region in February 2025 was recorded at 24.12 million kilograms, significantly lower by 78.8 percent compared with the 113.58 million kilograms of exported goods in February 2024. Inorganic chemicals; organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals, of rare-earth metals, of radio-active commodity group comprised almost two-thirds (61.0%) of the export market in February 2024, with sales amounting to USD 0.99 million. India was the leading export destination in February 2025, with exports valued at USD 0.99 million, representing 61.0 percent of the overall exports.

The region imported a total of 191.84 million kilograms of goods in February 2025, reflecting a 10.3 percent decline compared to the 213.94 million of imported goods recorded in February 2024. The commodity group of ores, slag and ash was the leading import commodity group, with a total value of USD 182.24 million, which comprised 81.6 percent of the region’s overall value of imports in February 2025. Chile was recorded as the region’s top import source during the month, which contributed USD 52.07 million or 23.3 percent of the total value of imports.

Technical Notes

Export and Import Trade Statistics are compiled by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) from copies of export and import documents submitted to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) by exporters and importers or their authorized representatives as required by law. PSA collects copies of the following accomplished forms:

1. Export Declaration (ED – DTI form) 
2. Import Entry & Internal Revenue Declaration (BOC IEIRD Form 236) 
3. Informal Import Declaration and Entry (BOC Form 177) 
4. Single Administrative Documents (SAD)

The output of the Automated Export Documentation System (AEDS) of the BOC is being utilized to generate export statistics. AEDS is a paperless transaction in lieu of the manual filling-up of export documents.

Moreover, an electronic copy of the IEIRD, or SAD, is utilized to capture the monthly import figures. SAD-IEIRD is an on-line submission of import documents either by brokers or companies. These are transactions that pass through the Automated Cargo Operating System (ACOS), now called the e2m (electronic to mobile) customs system, a system implemented through the BOC e-Customs Project.

All documents (hard copies and e-files) received before the cut-off date which is every 25th day of the month, are compiled, processed and generated in monthly statistical tables for the preparation of Press Release. All documents received after the cut-off date, however, are processed and included in the generation of the revised monthly statistical tables. Final data revisions are made annually during the first quarter after the reference year to include documents received after the monthly revisions.

The digitized copies of all documents are provided by BOC and PEZA to PSA on a monthly basis through email.

The 2022 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification (PSCC) is used to classify the commodities at the most detailed 10-digit code level for statistical purposes.

SGD. WILMA A. PERANTE 
Regional Director