Constructions in CAR increase by 10.4%

• Among the provinces in the region, Benguet recorded the highest number of construction permits with 227 units or 54.8 percent share to the region’s total permits granted, followed by Kalinga with 76 units, and Abra with 68 units. The three provinces with the least number of constructions were Apayao with 30 units, Ifugao with 8 units, and Mountain Province with 5 units.

Figure 1. Percentage of Construction Activities by Province, CAR: Q1 2021

Construction cost at PhP13,449 per square meter

• The region’s total average cost per square meter of constructions in the first quarter of 2021 was estimated at PhP13,449, an increase of 1.6 percent from the PhP11,609 average cost per square meter recorded in the previous quarter.

Figure 2. Average Cost of Construction, CAR: Q1 2021 and Q4 2020

7 out of 10 constructions are residential buildings

• Across all types of constructions, residential constructions recorded the highest number with 277 or 66.9 percent share of the total constructions in the region for the first quarter of 2021. A decline of 6.1 percent was recorded from the 294 residential constructions reported in the last quarter of 2020.
• Aside from residential construction that posted a decline, an increase in construction activities were recorded in the following types of constructions: non-residential with 75 constructions, alteration and repair with 56, and street furniture/landscaping/signboard with 13.
• Addition, a type of construction that refers to any new construction that increases the height or area of an existing building, and alteration and repair of existing structures, posted a decline with 6 constructions recorded in the first quarter 2021 from 10 constructions in the last quarter of 2020.

3 out 5 non-residential constructions are for commercial activities

• Among the non-residential constructions, construction of commercial buildings such as stores, office buildings, bank, hotels/motels made up the highest share with 74.7 percent. Institutional buildings came next with 14.7 percent share. Industrial buildings ranked third with 9.3 percent share, while agricultural buildings had the least share with 1.3 percent.
• Non-residential building was mostly granted in Kalinga and Benguet with 30.7 percent and 22.7 percent shares, respectively. Constructions in Abra shared 21.3 percent, while Apayao shared 12.0 percent and Ifugao shared 10.6 percent. Only 2.6 percent of the total number of non-residential constructions were granted in Mountain Province.

Figure 4. Percentage of Non-residential Constructions by Type, CAR: Q1 2021

More stores are built in CAR

• In the first quarter of 2021, more than half of commercial constructions or equivalent to 66.1 percent were stores. Majority of the stores were given permits to be built in Apayao with 24 units, followed by Kalinga with 21. Ifugao ranked third with 18 stores, Benguet with 12 stores, and Abra with 2 stores.
• Constructions of hotel/motel came next with 32 construction permits. The least number of construction activities were for banks with only three construction permits recorded in the first quarter of 2021.
• Most of the building permits for commercial building constructions were in Benguet with 44 units.