The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), led by Secretary Cristina A. Roque, kicks off 2025 National Exporters’ Week (NEW) activities on a high note with October 2025 export figures up by 19.4% year-on-year.
At the opening ceremony, she encouraged exporters and partners to fully participate in this year’s programs in line with the theme, Making Waves: Exporters Driving the Nation Forward. “Let us work together to ride this wave of opportunity and position the Philippines as a global trade powerhouse. Let us not just make waves. Let us create a tide that lifts every Filipino in this Bagong Pilipinas.”
Philippine merchandise exports have grown for ten consecutive months, signaling a strong recovery from the past two years’ slowdown. From January to October 2025, total exports reached USD 70.43 billion, up from USD 61.90 billion in the same period in 2024, marking a 13.80% increase.
Electronics, still the country’s leading export category, grew by 11.7%, rising from USD 36.54 billion in 2024 to USD 40.82 billion in 2025. This expansion suggests sustained momentum in semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, supported by both export diversification and increased orders from major trading partners.
Meanwhile, non-electronics exports outpaced the growth of electronics, posting a robust 16.8% growth rate. Shipments climbed from USD 25.35 billion to USD 29.61 billion, driven by stronger performance in sectors such as manufactured products, minerals, and agro-based goods.
Under the recent U.S. Executive Order, the share of Philippine agricultural exports to the U.S. enjoying exemptions from reciprocal tariffs surged from virtually zero to over 65% of covered categories. This policy shift benefits high-value products such as coconut oil and derivatives, pineapple and mango preparations, frozen bananas, cassava, baked goods, coffee, and select spices.
Services exports posted a slight contraction in the first half of 2025. From January to June 2025, the Philippine services exports amounted to USD 24.43 billion, marginally lower than the USD 24.65 billion recorded in the same period of 2024. This represents a 0.89% decline, reflecting generally stable external demand with minimal year-on-year reduction.
Despite the modest dip, the overall level of services exports remained largely steady, indicating that major service industries such as IT-BPM, travel, and transport continued to perform near their 2024 levels, with only a slight softening in its performance during the period.
Overall, the double-digit expansion across major export categories underscores the resilience of the Philippine export sector and signals a positive outlook heading into the final quarter of 2025.
In terms of export destinations, the data highlights the increasingly diversified export landscape, driven by double-digit growth in several major markets.
During the opening ceremony of NEW 2025, DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque highlighted the continued upward momentum of Philippine exports despite the global headwinds. She also highlighted DTI’s achievements, through the Export Marketing Bureau, to make exporting easier especially for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through digitalization, streamlined processes, and stronger market access support.
The Exporters’ Exhibit at the NEW 2025 features the high-quality Philippine products and services that continue to attract strong global interest. One of the highlights of the exhibit is the special setting that spotlights popular foreign brands that are proudly made in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the Export Enablers’ Counselling Area will open during the National Export Congress (NEC). Throughout the week, the Usapang Exports sessions will highlight market opportunities, standards compliance, and logistics for women-led MSMEs, among others. Recent DTI-led export promotion missions in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia have likewise reported increased buyer interest in Philippine food, coconut products, electronics, beauty and wellness items, and creative services, reinforcing the sector’s positive outlook.
One of the main initiatives of DTI that will be officially launched during the NEC on December 4 is the FTA Origin Management System (OMS). The system automates and modernizes origin determination, certification, and document management making it easier for exporters to avail of tariff preferences. The system, developed through the Philippines and Korea partnership is designed to reduce processing time and help MSMEs navigate FTA requirements.
In the same occasion, DTI will also launch PHX SOURCE, a comprehensive online discovery platform featuring over 6,000 Philippine exporters and their products and services for global buyers. Developed in partnership with Qsweep Technologies, the platform will connect exporters with international buyers through a unified directory, real-time analytics, and engagement tools. PHX SOURCE aims to enhance visibility and expand market access for Philippine exporters, especially MSMEs.
Secretary Roque reiterated DTI’s commitment to the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2023 to 2028 as the country’s roadmap toward a more innovative and competitive export sector. “The PEDP is more than a policy document. It embodies a collective vision that requires the active participation of every stakeholder,” she said. “To realize this vision, we must continue to strengthen our export ecosystem which is the foundation of a dynamic and thriving export industry.”
NEW 2025 runs from December 1 to 4, 2025 and is organized by DTI-Export Marketing Bureau, the Export Development Council (EDC) and PHILEXPORT.
