Despite the string of calamities that struck the country in 2013, particularly Typhoon Yolanda and the strong earthquake in Bohol and other parts of the Visayas, the performance of the economy measured in GDP growth of 7.2 percent remained strong as evident in the total cargo volume of 202.06 million metric tons (MMTs) handled at the ports nationwide or an increase of 4.27 percent over the 193.78 MMTs serviced in the previous year. The momentum of activities at the ports maintained its traction as seen in the robust growth in domestic and foreign components of conventional and containerized cargoes, the moderate increase in domestic conventional cargo,and the steady and sustained passenger volume despite the stiff competition posed by budget domestic airline carriers. Overall trade performance is shown in the following table.