TWO-MONTH EXPORT RECEIPTS EXPAND BY 16.2 PERCENT

Value of exports for the first two months of 1997 grew by 16.2 percent to $3.503 billion, an increase of $488.56 million from $3.014 billion during the same period a year ago.

Receipts from merchandise exports for February 1997 alone reached $1.811 billion, surpassing the $1.594 billion mark last year by $216.74 million or 13.6 percent.

ELECTRONICS AND COMPONENTS TOP FEBRUARY EXPORTS

Electronics and Components reported income for February as rising by 22.1 percent to $758.45 million from $621.36 million last year and accounting for 41.9 percent of the aggregate revenue

Second biggest export with a 10.1 percent share were Articles of Apparel and Clothing Accessories which reported a combined income of $182.32 million, 8.4 percent lower than the $199.14 million last year.

Receipts from Input/Output Peripheral Units, representing 7.0 percent of the total, increased by 575.6 percent to $126.80 million from $18.77 million a year ago.

Still at number four was Coconut Oil which shipped $45.34 million worth and grew by 9.1 percent from $41.55 million last year.

Ignition Wiring Sets and Other Wiring Sets Used in Vehicles, Aircrafts and Ships earned $44.89 million, 36.9 percent higher than the $32.78 million last year.

Other major exports for the month were: Woodcraft and Furniture, $39.36 million; Other Products Manufactured from Materials Imported on Consignment Basis, $33.29 million; Petroleum Products, $22.62 million; Metal Components, $21.82 million; and Cathodes and Sections of Cathodes, of Refined Copper, $21.48 million.

Combined revenues from the top ten merchandise exports amounted to $1,296.37 million or 71.6 percent of the total.

RECEIPTS FROM MANUFACTURED GOODS UP BY 20.0 PERCENT

Led by electronics, machinery and transport equipment, and garments, value of manufactured goods went up by 20 percent to $1.571 billion from $1.309 billion last year and accounted for 86.8 percent of the total.

Revenue from major agro-based products grew by 7.0 percent to $94.76 million from $88.58 million in 1996. Receipts from other agro-based products amounted to $34.834 million representing a 14.5 percent drop from last year's $40.748 million.

Representing 3.7 percent of the aggregate value, mineral products, notably copper metal, declined by 42.8 percent to $66.743 million from the year-ago value of $97.476 million.

US SHARE OF RP EXPORTS AT 36.0 PERCENT

The United States continued to be the biggest market as receipts accounting for 36.0 percent of the total reached $651.45 million, up by 29.7 percent from $502.19 million last year.

Purchases made by Japan, still the second biggest market with a 17.9 percent share, amounted to $324.61 million, or an increase of 17.6 percent over the level of $276.09 million last year.

Netherlands was the third biggest client with total exports valued at $132.86 million, a 99.6 percent increase over 1996's $66.57 million. This value was 7.3 percent of the total merchandise exports.

Singapore, accounting for 6.4 percent of the total revenue, bought $114.90 million worth of merchandise exports, which was 0.6 percent higher than the $114.27 million last year.

Rounding up the list of top ten markets for February were: Hongkong, $71.38 million; Thailand, $67.94 million; Taiwan, $66.88 million; Germany, $65.69 million; United Kingdom of Great Britain, $65.34 million; and, Malaysia, $41.48 million.

Aggregate receipts from these top ten markets amounted to $1,602.53 million or 88.5 percent of the total.