The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is maintaining that the government remains aggressive in keeping the momentum in attaining improved exports.

This, following the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report that the country’s total export sales in October 2025 amounted to $7.39 billion, or an annual growth of 19.4 percent from the $6.19-billion total export sales during the same month in the previous year.

In September 2025, the total export sales registered an annual increase of 16.2 percent, while an annual decrease of 5.0 percent was recorded in October 2024.

However, 60.3 percent of the total external trade in October 2025 was imported goods, while the remaining 39.7 percent was exported goods.

Aggressive in strengthening the business sector

“We’re hoping that the growth will be sustained. We are indeed aggressive in strengthening the business sector. We don’t want to be lax, that is why we don’t want to talk about it, and you will see that the trends are going up,” she said in an ambush interview on Friday at the DTI office in Makati City.

U.S. decision to forego tariffs

Further, Roque said the recent decision of the United States to forgo the tariffs for exported Philippine products will further boost the country’s outgoing goods.

“This is really a win for the agricultural sector and for those in the agriculture business. So, we really see this growing leaps and bounds for products going to the US. Not just the US, but also to the other countries as well. For example, Philippine coconuts and their by-products that are in a lot of demand now,” she said.

On 18 November, the Philippine government announced that more than $1 billion worth of the country’s agricultural products will no longer be subject to the US reciprocal tariffs, following President Donald Trump’s decision to remove duties on various goods to ease the cost-of-living burden on Americans.

Trade deficit

Meanwhile, the balance of trade in goods or the difference between the value of exports and imports, stood at $3.83 billion in October this year, indicating a trade deficit with an annual decline of 34.2 percent.

“In September 2025, the trade deficit registered an annual decrease of 8.5 percent, while an annual increase of 37.1 percent was recorded in October 2024,” the PSA said in its Friday report.