AUTOMOBILES sold in January fell by double digits from a month and a year earlier, according to data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), which blamed the recent Taal Volcano eruption for the drop.

In a joint report released on Tuesday, the two groups said car sales last month reached 23,723 units, a 29.6-percent decrease from the 33,715 posted in December and down 11.8 percent from the 26,888 in January 2019.