Investments

(DTI) on Monday admitted that the high cost of electricity in the country gives foreign investors second thoughts about investing in the Philippines.

I felt that President Benigno Aquino III’s State-of-the-Nation Address was well delivered. It made some good, important points. But I was concerned that there was no attention given to improving the business climate, despite the fact that this is where he will get the jobs to give the poor an income.

FOREIGN direct investment (FDI) in developing Asia set new records in 2010 for both inflows and outflows but the Philippines received the lowest flows compared with its peers, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Tuesday.

To improve the country’s low standings in competitiveness surveys, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo said pollsters should include firms located in economic zones.

It could have been another Edsa with three personalities who made it possible present in the capacity-filled Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza last Thursday. But nothing of the sort happened. Former President Fidel V. Ramos and now Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile have become tamed by the very politics they had decried when…

Having been Ambassador to the Commission of the European Communities in Brussels, I continue to have an interest in developments in the EU particularly in trade and investments.

MANILA, Philippines – The Board of Investments (BOI) is readying five measures which would make the country more foreign investment friendly and to counter provisions in the constitution which prohibits full foreign ownership.

The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines said Wednesday the Philippine economy is growing but noted the “slow arrival” of foreign investments in the country during the first year of the Aquino administration.

Changing times in the face of unchanging laws defines the conflict of the ages: reform vs. status quo, a more prosperous future vs. prosperity for the few, have-nots vs. haves. The restrictive economic provisions of the constitution represent the unchanging laws. The demands for economic reform constitute the pressure to adjust to the needs of…

Fitch Ratings, one of three closely-watched international ratings firms, conceded that the Philippines had achieved notable fiscal and monetary improvements under the Aquino administration but an upgrade is still far-fetched.

FDI LAGGING: The development contribution of Foreign Direct Investments in the Philippines is lowest in Southeast Asia. Just two decades ago, the country was well on its way to becoming a major player in Asia together with China, Thailand and India.

President Benigno Aquino III has approved this year’s Investment Priorities Plan listing the industries to be given incentives and added six to it.

MANILA, Philippines – The inflow of foreign portfolio investments or “hot money” more than tripled in the first half of the year on the back of strong investments in shares listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and peso-denominated government securities, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

MANILA: Cautious investors’ attitude and sluggish economic performance in the Philippines’ major trading partners have slowed down the inflow of foreign direct investments (FDI) in the country from January to April. The FDI infused into the Philippines in the first four months decreased to 552 million US dollars, or a 15.1 percent drop from 650…

A recent Supreme Court decision bearing its judgment on what constitutes capital in the 60-40 Filipino to foreign equity rule concerning foreign investments inspires further commentary on the restrictive economic provisions in the constitution.

MANILA, Philippines – Net inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) declined 15.1 percent in the first four months of the year due to the generally sluggish growth in advanced economies led by the US and Japan as well as the debt crisis in Europe, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

THIS YEAR’S list of investment areas where businesses will be eligible for tax perks will come into effect within the month, after Malacañang finally published it in newspapers yesterday. This, as the implementing rules of the 2011 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) should be out by next week, a Trade official said. The annual plan is…

MANILA, Philippines – Investment commitments for the first half of the year amounted to P204.175 billion, a double-digit growth of 20 percent from a year ago, the Board of Investments (BOI) reported yesterday.

The idea that a country’s political constitution could be related to its economic progress is not often in people’s minds. My own journey of awareness was a revelation even to me. I found out that some rules and designs in political constitutions often help to facilitate economic progress.

President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the Trade Department to include the creative industries and disaster-mitigating and recovery projects in the 2011 Investment Priorities Plan, bringing to 13 the number of activities eligible for incentives this year from 11.

BUSINESS SENTIMENT in the Asia-Pacific region has dropped due to rising costs and concerns over the global recovery, a Reuters survey released yesterday showed.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday that net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows surged 142 percent in March as equity infusion more than doubled while withdrawals declined.

In East Asia, the Philippines has the lowest level of foreign direct investments (FDIs). A major explanation is the very Constitution of the Philippines, which restricts or prohibits foreign investments in strategic sectors of the economy. Other reasons are our notoriety for corruption, the high cost of electricity and the generally poor state of infrastructures.

MANILA, Philippines –  The House committee on ways and means yesterday approved the proposed Investments and Incentives Code of the Philippines, one of 23 priority bills of the Aquino administration that aims to enhance the economy’s global competitiveness through investment promotion and industrial development activities.

THE International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are urging the government to review its fiscal incentives program, saying it is redundant and stops it from raising more revenue.

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank prodded the Philippines to reform its fiscal incentive system amid a redundancy that has rendered tax administration inefficient in raising revenues.

MANILA, Philippines –  A survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed companies are still planning to expand their operations and hire more workers this year despite the projected easing in economic growth.

CALL FOR‘NEGOTIATED’ PIATCO SETTLEMENT It was a diplomatic statement from the German government in Manila, but it was clear it was not happy with the Pasay City Regional Trial Court judge’s decision on the “just compensation” awarded to the Philippine International Airport Terminal Corp. which was merely a fifth of what Piatco was seeking from…

INVESTMENT pledges made by foreign entities fell by half in the first quarter, even as the number of jobs the commitments would generate is expected to rise, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said.

The country’s top two investment promotion agencies, the Board of Investments (BoI) and the Philippine Export Zones Authority (Peza), generated a total of P145.23 billion worth of committed investments from January to March, which was 123.22 percent higher from the P65.06 billion of approved investments generated in the same period last year.