Philippines Manufacturing Output Drops 1.6% in February

The Philippine manufacturing sector experienced a downturn in February 2025, with the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) declining by 2.4% and the Value of Production Index (VaPI) dropping 1.6% year-on-year. This contraction was primarily due to significant decreases in the production of basic metals, which fell by 35.6%, and slower growth in machinery and equipment, which increased by only 29.1%. Additionally, the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products saw a decrease of 21.1%. Conversely, some sectors like leather and leather products, furniture, and food reported increases in production. Overall, the manufacturing output fell 3.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis from January, reversing the previous month's gains. Despite the declines, the manufacturing sector showed some resilience with other divisions recording growth, indicating mixed performance across the industry.