Philippine manufacturing output returned to growth in December 2025 as food production accelerated and non-metallic mineral products surged, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
The volume of production index (VoPI) for manufacturing rose 1.0 percent year-on-year in December, reversing a 1.1-percent decline seen in November. The performance was also stronger than the 0.5-percent growth recorded in December 2024.
The rebound was led by a 31.4-percent jump in the manufacture of non-metallic mineral products and a 10.4-percent increase in food production. Machinery and equipment manufacturing also swung to a 10.1 percent gain from a 10.7 percent contraction the previous month.
Despite the year-end recovery, the full-year 2025 average VoPI slipped 0.02 percent, continuing a downward trend from growth rates of 0.7 percent in 2024 and 4.9 percent in 2023.
“The uptrend in the year-on-year growth rate of VoPI for manufacturing in December 2025 was primarily driven by manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products,” the PSA said.
The food sector, a major component of the index, was bolstered by dairy products which grew 44.3 percent during the month. This helped the annual average value of production index (VaPI) for food products reach 14.1 percent in 2025, a significant jump from 1.4 percent in 2024.
Overall manufacturing value also improved, with the VaPI rising 1.9 percent in December following a 1.0 percent drop in November.
Average capacity utilization for the sector edged up to 77.5 percent in December from 77.4 percent in November.
The petroleum products sector led the way at 84.9-percent utilization, followed by electronics at 83.2 percent.
According to the PSA, more than a third of responding establishments operated at full capacity between 90 percent and 100 percent.
