The number of construction activities reached 12,526 in January, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Friday.

Preliminary data released by the PSA showed that the number of constructions from approved building permits was equivalent to 3.71 million square meters of floor area with a total value of PHP48.57 billion.

“This excludes alteration and repair, other non-residential, such as facade, helipad, niche, water tank, etc., and other constructions, which include demolition, street furniture, landscaping, and signboards, since there is no reported floor area for these types of constructions,” the PSA said.

PSA data showed that residential buildings reported the highest number of constructions at 7,671 or 61.2 percent of the total number of constructions during the month.

The construction value of residential buildings amounted to PHP20.94 billion.

The majority of the constructions were single-type houses with 6,863 constructions.

Non-residential constructions, meanwhile, reached 3,138 with a total value of PHP24.16 billion.

Most of the non-residential constructions were commercial buildings.

“Addition, which refers to any new construction that increases the height or area of an existing building, alteration, and repair of existing structures, and other constructions contributed 3.7 percent, 7.8 percent, and 2.2 percent to the total number of constructions, respectively,” the PSA said.

It said the average cost of construction in January 2025 was PHP12,208.10 per square meter. (PNA)