Construction starts as measured by building permit approvals declined slightly in 2019, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported in its final estimates for the indicator.
Building approvals declined 0.02% in 2019 to 173,162. The retreat in the number of approvals reverses the 13.9% rise posted in 2018.
Approved projects involved 41.6 million square meters (sq.m.) of floor space, up 1.2%, valued at P491.8 billion, up 3.3%.
Permits for residential projects, which made up 71.8% of the total approved building permits last year, declined by 1.7% to 124,275. These projects were valued at P225.8 billion with a floor area of 20.01 million sq.m.
Single-detached homes accounted for 105,595 permits, followed by apartments at 14,501, duplexes and quadruplexes 3,784, condominiums 177, and other residential projects 218.
Non-residential project approvals rose 9.3% to 26,649, worth P233.2 billion and involving a floor area of 20.9 million sq.m.
Within the category were permits for 16,251 commercial buildings, 5,887 institutional buildings, 2,649 industrial buildings, 1,179 agricultural buildings, and 683 “other non-residential” buildings.
Permits for additions to existing structures numbered 6,166 in 2019, while those for alterations and repairs of existing structures numbered 16,072.
The construction sector’s gross value added grew by 7.8% in 2019, exceeding the Philippines’ gross domestic product growth of six percent that year. The sector’s growth last year, however, was lower than the 14.3% posted in 2018.
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