CONSTRUCTION activity declined in December, with the number of approved building permits falling 5.9 percent year on year, even as non-residential projects accounted for the bulk of construction value during the month.
Preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the number of constructions from approved building permits stood at 11,411 in December 2025, down from 12,127 in the same month in 2024. This followed a steeper 10.1 percent annual drop recorded in November.
Residential projects lead in number
By type, residential buildings accounted for the largest share of total constructions at 7,203, or more than three-fifths of the total for the month. However, this represented a seven percent decline from 7,741 a year earlier.
Single-type houses comprised the bulk, making up 6,312 projects or 87.6 percent of total residential constructions.
Non-residential constructions ranked second with 2,666 projects, equivalent to 23.4 percent of total constructions. This segment declined 3.6 percent year on year. Commercial buildings dominated non-residential projects at 1,802 constructions, or 67.6 percent of the category.
Additions to existing structures accounted for 3.4 percent of total constructions, while alteration and repair made up 7.5 percent and other constructions 2.6 percent. Compared with a year earlier, other constructions rose 2.1 percent, while additions fell 2.3 percent and alteration and repair dropped eight percent
Construction value down 13.4%
Total construction value amounted to P33.62 billion in December, 13.4 percent lower than P38.84 billion a year earlier.
Non-residential buildings accounted for the largest share at P17.81 billion, or 53 percent of the total, though this was 1.2 percent lower year on year. Institutional buildings posted the highest value within the segment at P7.07 billion, representing 39.7 percent of non-residential construction value.
Residential buildings generated P12.13 billion, or 36.1 percent of the total, plunging 30.3 percent from P17.40 billion in December 2024. Single-type houses accounted for P9.61 billion, or 79.2 percent of residential construction value.
Meanwhile, additions were valued at P0.48 billion (1.4 percent), alteration and repair at P2.60 billion (7.7 percent), and other constructions at P0.60 billion (1.8 percent). Additions and alterations and repairs rose 16.6 percent and 23 percent, respectively, while other constructions declined 32 percent.
Average construction cost eases
The average cost of construction fell 7.4 percent year on year to P11,366.71 per square meter from P12,278.33.
Residential buildings recorded the highest average cost at P11,973.30 per square meter, followed by non-residential buildings at P11,044.09 and additions at P9,471.35.
Among residential projects, condominiums posted the highest average cost at P25,135.68 per square meter, while other residential constructions recorded the lowest at P7,814.24.
Within the non-residential category, institutional buildings had the highest average cost at P15,108.51 per square meter, while agricultural buildings posted the lowest at P7,069.82. / KOC