Investments

US firms are expecting increased growth in trade and investment in the Southeast Asian region in the next five years, with 83 percent of Philippine-based American businessmen indicating interest to expand operations here.

(Reuters) – A growing number of U.S. companies plan to shift some operations from China to Southeast Asia in the next two years as confidence in countries such as the Philippines improves, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore showed.

MANILA, Philippines – The service-driven Philippine economy has benefitted the country with jobs and huge remittances but development of other sectors is vital to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth, central bank officials said.

The Philippines stands to benefit from an investment boom in the coming years fueled by prevailing low interest rates, according to the regional unit of an international accounting organization.

The first seven months saw portfolio inflows, also known as “hot” money, slowing down by 31 percent to only $1.833 billion versus year-ago inflows of $2.666 billion.

President Benigno Aquino wants more evidence before supporting the Enrile-Belmonte initiative to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution. In several columns, I have presented the case for these amendments.

FINANCE-RELATED agencies, along with the Tourism department, topped the latest Makati Business Club (MBC) Executive Outlook Survey on the performance of state offices and services, while some of those involved in infrastructure development, dispensing justice and law enforcement were ranked near the bottom of the list.

In spite of a not-too-mild drop in popularity rating as seen by Social Weather Station in its latest survey, President Aquino is doing just fine, according to the perception of businessmen who were asked by the Makati Business Club about their outlook for 41 government agencies in the two years that the Chief Executive has…

Foreign direct investments rose 10.2 percent year-on-year in the first five months, despite the sharp drop recorded in May, the Bangko Sentral said Friday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines remains in a sweet spot with a lot of room for investment and economic activities, the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) said in its latest report.

MANILA, Philippines – A foreign business group is pushing for consultations to be conducted by the government with the private sector regarding a plan to remove incentives to new mining projects which may affect investments to the sector.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has seen renewed investor confidence over the past few months largely due to the Aquino administration’s good governance thrust.

The subject of amending the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution took center stage in the public media recently. These economic provisions have an impact on the country’s policies toward foreign investment.

Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay yesterday chided President Aquino for trumpeting economic progress when the truth of the matter is that investors are pulling out their investments in the country because the government cannot protect their businesses.

Manila, Philippines – Foreign portfolio investments – also called “hot money” for the ease with which they enter and exit economies – posted a net outflow last month as uncertainties in Europe resulted into risk aversion, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

Provisions in President Aquino’s recently released Executive Order (EO) that seeks to increase taxes on the mining sector and extend a ban on new permits may deter investors, the country’s biggest foreign trade group said. The Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) in a statement said EO 79 that fleshes out mining policy, details of which were…

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign direct investments (FDI) were in the red for the first time this year, recording a net outflow of $13 million in April, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

Manila, Philippines – President Aquino gave assurance yesterday that his administration was working to change the mindset of local government units (LGUs) and empower them so they would become more business-friendly.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced the release of P1.166 billion to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm) with regards to the extension of its memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).

Ford Motor Co. recently announced that it will close its manufacturing plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna at the end of the year. This comes at a time when signs are looking up for the Philippine economy’s near term future.

MANILA, Philippines – The Export–Import Bank of Korea sees an influx of Korean companies relocating their operations from China to emerging market economies led by the Philippines due to rising costs.

A lawyer believes the government can be sued by foreign investors before an international tribunal for espousing inconsistent investment rules. Addressing the Supreme Court on Tuesday, lawyer E.M. Lombos, a lawyer of Manuel V. Pangilinan, CEO and managing director of the First Pacific Group, said the constitutional provision capping at 40 percent the equity of…

THE Philippines is not ready to absorb the next “investment wave” coming its way, a power and water resource expert said. Nevertheless, the Aquino administration, with four years left before the end of its term, could start enhancing the country’s “absorptive capacity” that will push forward industrialization, according to Alan Ortiz, president and chief operating…

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the decline in hot money brought about by the crisis in the euro zone is temporary and that these portfolio inflows would start pouring in again once investors realize that the Philippines is a safe haven for their funds.

THE WORLD BANK has urged the Philippines to take advantage of its resilience to global economic uncertainty to make much-needed investments for long-term growth. “The external environment looks bleak and uncertain, but the Philippines is in quite a strong position to absorb these shocks,” World Bank Lead Economist Rogier J. E. van den Brink said…

The mining industry suffered a P10.4-billion foreign direct investment (FDI) outflow last year due to the suspended issuance of mining permits by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for more than a year and uncertainties in the mining policy that will have shaped the industry’s development under the Aquino administration.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has the fourth “most optimistic” community of business leaders in the world as strides taken in easing the cost of doing business likely negated other concerns like the tension between the Executive and Judicial branches of government.

President Aquino III expressed his intention to revive Philippine manufacturing. That’s welcome news. But instead of counting chickens before they’re hatched, he should focus on fixing the things that need to be fixed to make the Philippines an attractive place for foreign and domestic manufacturers. The to-do list is quite formidable, however.

MANILA, Philippines— Malacañang admitted on Tuesday the continued existence of factors—high cost of electricity and insufficient loans for small businesses among them—that the World Bank recently said were preventing poor Filipinos from benefiting from the country’s economic growth.

THE PHILIPPINES has been told to hasten reforms related to investment restrictions and complex business licensing, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in report, with slow action seen to have kept the economy operating “below potential.” WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, however, noted that the country had made “important” improvements.