Philippines posts biggest trade deficit in 3 months in March

MANILA, May 6 (Reuters) – The Philippines posted a $5 billion trade deficit in March PHTBAL=ECI, the biggest so far this year, as a rise in imports outpaced the increase in exports, the statistics agency said on Friday.

Imports rose 27.7% from a year earlier to $12.2 billion, while exports increased 5.9%, the slowest growth since October, to $7.2 billion.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Enrico Dela Cruz
Editing by Ed Davies)

((enrico.delacruz@tr.com))