LOCAL factory output accelerated in April on the back of a double-digit surge in coke and refined petroleum manufacturing, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday.
The Value of Production Index (VaPI) grew by 14.7 percent during the month, up from 13.1 percent in March and rebounding from the 2.2-percent contraction recorded a year earlier.
Volume of Production Index (VoPI) growth, meanwhile, rose to 12.0 percent from 10.2 percent a month earlier. The rate was -2.4 percent in April 2025.
Year to date, VaPI and VoPI grew by 8.8 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively.
VaPI growth was attributed to a 60.8-percent surge in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products from just 4.6 percent in March.
This industry division, the PSA said, contributed 82.0 percent to the faster VaPi growth rate and had fourth-heaviest weight in the computation of the index.
Other major contributors to VaPI growth were the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products and the manufacture of food products.
Of the remaining 21 industry divisions, 15 posted gains while six recorded annual declines, the PSA said.
Meanwhile, the faster annual VoPi growth was again primarily driven by double-digit growth — 52.7 percent — in coke and refined petroleum product output, a recovery from March’s 3.4-percent contraction.
The major contributors to the overall VoPI growth were also the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products and the manufacture of food products.
Of the remaining industry divisions, 15 posted growth while seven saw declines.
Average capacity utilization, meanwhile, was 78.4 percent in April. This was slightly lower than the 78.6 percent recorded in March but rose from the yearago 76.5 percent.
All industry divisions recorded capacity utilization rates of more than 65.0 percent, with the top three being the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products (91.8 percent), manufacture of leather and related products, including footwear (82.6 percent) and other manufacturing and repair and installation of machinery and equipment (81.8 percent).
Among the 623 establishments that responded to the PSA’s Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries, 33.4 percent (208) reported operating at full capacity, or 90 percent to 100 percent.
Two hundred and fifty-six (41.1 percent) operated at 70 to 89 percent and 159 (25.5 percent) operated below 70-percent capacity.
