Investments

ALONG with officials from the World Bank and the International Finance Corp., I spoke in a panel discussion on stable economy and improved investment climate organized by the WB Manila office last week. The discussion was meant to guide WB on how to advise the new administration that is expected to take over next year…

Warren Buffett, known to many as the Oracle of Omaha, is considered one of the world’s greatest investors.

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign businessmen said they will remain cautious in deciding to invest in the country next year.

MANILA, Philippines – Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila is pushing for constitutional amendments to encourage more foreign firms to invest in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – Portfolio investments continued to bounce back to a net inflow of $229.1 million in the first nine months of the year from a net outflow of $889.1 million in the same period last year amid the global economic slowdown, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign direct investments (FDIs) breached the $1-billion mark in the first seven months of this year, rising by 33.8 percent to $1.239 billion from $926 million in the same period last year.

MANILA, Philippines – American businessmen are now generally more satisfied with the business environment in the Philippines than last year, although major concerns such as corruption continue to weigh on their business plans, results of a survey on business expectations by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) showed.

(Third of three parts) Advance pricing arrangements (APAs) The draft RR makes reference to APAs, which may be unilateral, bilateral, or multilateral. It states that an APA shall formally be initiated by the taxpayer.

Most countries today encourage investment in the private sector to grow the economy and create jobs. The Philippine government is apparently an exception to this trend. Businessmen invest in a business to make money, and any sensible government encourages them to do so and be successful. Then other investors will come.

MANILA, Philippines – International Finance Corp. (IFC), the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group, said it will double its portfolio investment for renewable energy projects in the Philippines to $3 billion for 2009 to 2011 from $1.3 billion in 2008.

(Second of three parts) Statute of limitations on TP assessments; penalties The draft RR does not provide for the statute of limitations for assessments involving TP adjustments. However, since a RR should be consistent with the provisions of the NIRC, any assessments involving TP adjustments should follow the general statute of limitations provided under the…

The latest corruption tag on the Philippines by Germany-based watchdog Transparency International (TI) is seen as another blackeye on the country, a senior Filipino diplomat yesterday said.

The Philippines remains under the radar of European investors, and to help reverse that Filipinos should pay more attention to the Old World rather than focusing too much on the US, the European chamber said. “The Philippines is US-centric. The end of the rainbow goes to the US [for most Filipinos],” Hubert d’Aboville, president of…

MANILA, Philippines – The United Kingdom urged the Philippines yesterday to “capitalize” on the interest of British investors to do business in the country, saying Manila’s improved ranking among key emerging markets for global investors in 2009 is a strong point to start with and very encouraging.

German companies are upbeat about investment opportunities in the Philippines despite the global economic downturn.

(First of three parts) In 2006, the endorsement by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to the Secretary of Finance for his approval of the draft revenue regulations (RR) on transfer pricing (TP), was announced to the public. Since then tax practitioners around the world have been expecting the formal issuance of the first Philippine…

MANILA, Philippines – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) urged the government to exert more effort to attract investors, saying that the global financial crisis has slowed down foreign direct investments coming into the country.

The country’s investment promotion agencies are expected to post a slight contraction in investment pledges this year, hurting employment generation. In a briefing, Efren Leaño, executive director for Management Services Group of the Board of Investment (BOI), told reporters that it was hard to achieve flat economic growth this year because of the global financial…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines ranked ninth among 12 countries picked as key emerging markets for global investors in 2009, according to new research published by UK Trade & Investment.

THE success that has been attributed to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) under dynamic chairperson Lilia de Lima can be put down to continuity. In a rare departure for a job that comes as a political appointment, de Lima has held on to the post over three administrations, starting with the tenure of President…

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it expects investment pledges in the Freeport this year would be flat on the back of the global economic slowdown.

THE biggest pension fund in the US said it has not pulled out its investments in the Philippines despite uncertainties in emerging markets after the fall of Lehman Brothers a year ago.

A BILL converting the Bataan Economic Zone into the Bataan Special Economic Zone and Freeport has been passed by the House of Representatives and is now being deliberated in the Senate.

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign investments in stocks, government securities and peso-denominated assets yielded a net inflow of $182 million from January to August, reversing an outflow of $446 million recorded a year ago, due mainly to improving investor sentiment, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday that foreign direct investments (FDI) yielded a net inflow of $892 million in the first half of the year due to an improvement in equity capital and more reinvested earnings.

MANILA, Philippines – The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, Inc. (CMP) warned yesterday that continued protests by some anti-mining groups “would send a wrong signal to investors interested in putting capital not only in mining, but in other ventures as well.”

Foreign businessmen said that limiting foreign equity share in renewable-energy projects in the country to a maximum of only 40 percent would “dampen” the interest of potential foreign investors.

Over the last decade, the Philippines has become a favorite vacation spot for foreigners. These tourists love the country so much that many of them decided to invest their retirement savings and settle here.

A militant lawmaker has asked Congress to investigate the contracts entered into by the Philippine government and local governments that reportedly allow foreign corporations long-term use of the country’s agricultural lands.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects hot money flows or investments in foreign stocks, government securities and peso-denominated assets to continue pouring into the Philippines on the back of improving investor confidence.