Philippines' Sept imports up 7.2 pct, electronics value at 2-1/2 yr high

* Electronics imports up 29.8 pct yr/yr to $1.76 bln
    * Sept trade deficit at $666 mln vs yr-ago gap of $516 mln
    * Jan-Sept trade deficit $6.31 bln vs $6.23 bln gap yr ago

    MANILA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Philippine imports in September
rose 7.2 percent from a year ago, spurred by a double-digit rise
in its main electronics shipments, the statistics office said on
Tuesday.

KEY DATA         Sept   Aug    July   June    May    Apr    Mar 
 
Imports ($ bln)  5.71   5.55   5.49   4.86   5.26   5.14   4.92 
 
yr/yr chg (pct)  7.2    7.0    8.7   -4.8   -2.4    7.4   -8.4  
 

Electronics
Imports ($ bln)  1.76   1.34   1.63   1.10   1.28   1.06   1.25 
  
yr/yr chg (pct)  29.8   -9.0   33.1  -24.8  -11.1  -19.0   -0.6 
 
    NOTE: Some numbers for the previous month have been changed.

    KEY POINTS:
    - The country's largest imports are inputs used by the
semiconductor and electronics industry, also the biggest export
sector and a major contributor to the economy. Imports of
electronic parts in September climbed 29.8 percent from a year
earlier, with the value of electronics shipments the highest
since March 2011 at $2.05 billion . 
    - Total imports in the nine months to September were flat at
$46.4 billion from a year ago. 
    - The country had a trade deficit of $666 million in
September, wider than its year-ago gap of $516 million, bringing
the total trade gap in January-September to $6.31 billion. 
    - Exports climbed for a fourth month in a row in September,
although at a slower pace. The trade outlook remains cloudy
after the electronics industry group has said exports of the
sector will decline 10-12 percent this year, compared with its
earlier forecast of 5-6 percent growth. 
    - A super typhoon that devastated the central Philippines
could slow the country's economic growth in the fourth quarter,
but the government's full-year target of 6-7 percent is still
within reach, according to socioeconomic planning secretary
Arsenio Balisacan. 
    - Last week, the Philippine central bank raised its
inflation forecasts for this year and next, but said the faster
pace of price increases is not expected to force a rise in
interest rates just yet. The central bank will have its last
rate-setting meeting this year on Dec. 12.