Import surge widens trade gap in Dec

THE country's trade gap widened in December 2017 to $4.02 billion as exports slowed while imports surged, partly in support of a spike in infrastructure-related activities amid the government's “Build Build Build” program.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Friday that the country’s total external trade in goods in December 2017 reached $13.46 billion, an increase of 8.6 percent from $12.40 billion registered during the same month in 2016.