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Cargoes handled at Philippine ports grew 5% to 66.961 million metric tons in the first quarter of 2026, driven by higher foreign shipments
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Container traffic was up 4.3% to 2.13 million TEUs while roll-on/roll-off traffic grew 8.8% to 3.211 million units
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Passenger traffic increased 1.95% to 19.688 million while ship calls to PPA ports declined 1.2% year-on-year to 163,002
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Luzon ports still accounted for a big chunk of cargo and container volumes
Cargoes handled at Philippine ports grew 5% in the first quarter of 2026, driven by higher foreign shipments, particularly for exports, data from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) showed.
Ports under PPA jurisdiction recorded 66.961 million metric tons (mt) in the first quarter of 2026, higher than the 65.955 million mt posted in the same period in 2025.
Domestic cargoes, which accounted for 41% of the total, dropped 3.1% to 27.472 million mt from 28.351 million mt last year.
Foreign cargoes, on the other hand, saw a 5% increase to 39.489 million mt from 37.604 million mt previously.
Import cargoes dropped slightly by 0.12% year-on-year to 26.859 million mt while exports surged 17.9% year-on-year to 12.63 million mt.
Luzon ports accounted for 61% of total cargoes during the period with 40.869 million mt, followed by Mindanao ports with 13.556 million mt, and Visayas ports handling 12.537 million mt.
PPA ports also handled higher container traffic during the first quarter, recording 2.13 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), 4.3% up from 2.042 million TEUs in the same quarter last year.
Domestic containers rose 8% year-on-year to 757,353.39 TEUs while foreign containers improved 2.3% year-on-year to 1.372 million TEUs.
Import containers were up 3.6% to 690,485.50 TEUs while export containers hiked 1.12% to 681,858.25 TEUs.
Luzon ports shared 76.6% to total with 1.631 million TEUs, while Mindanao ports posted 381,311 TEUs and Visayas ports recorded 117,577 TEUs.
Roll-on/roll-off traffic likewise expanded 8.8% to 3.211 million units from 2.951 million units.
Passenger traffic in the first quarter grew 1.95% to 19.688 million from 19.311 million in the same quarter last year. Cruise passengers, however, dropped 5.2% to 124,875 from 131,687.
Ship calls to PPA ports declined 1.2% year-on-year to 163,002 due to lower domestic ship calls, which fell 1.3% to 160,285 calls. Foreign ship calls, on the other hand, increased 5.6% to 2,717 calls.
READ: Cargo volume at PH ports up 6.6% in 2025
For 2026, PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago earlier said PPA’s outlook “in so far as economic indicators are concerned, we’re very bullish” that volumes will continue to increase.
“I think the only things lang that will affect the outlook will be things that are beyond our control, which is… climate-related considerations,” he said, noting that weather disturbances can temporarily halt port operations.
Moreover, Santiago said external issues such as the U.S. reciprocal tariff so far have no effect as cargo traffic continues to improve. His remarks were made prior to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
In March, Santiago said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has “no direct operational routing issue affecting our ports.”
“However, any disruption in global shipping routes could affect freight rates, bunker costs, and eventually cargo volumes,” Santiago said.
READ: PPA eases bunkering accreditation, permit requirements amid fuel supply crunch
PPA, meanwhile, underscored “the strength of the domestic port system, supported by sustained cargo growth.”—Roumina Pablo
