This chapter examines important legal and regulatory developments in the Philippines, with particular focus on the liberalised entry of foreign banks, Islamic banking and finance, merger control and data privacy. It also features an interview with Rafael A Morales, Managing Partner, SyCip Salazar, Hernandez & Gatmaitan.
The Philippines boasts some of the world’s vastest precious metals reserves, valued at around $840bn at 2010 prices. In 2013 the Philippines was tied with Indonesia as the largest nickel producer in the world, producing some 440,000 tonnes each. The country’s vast and largely untapped mining potential will continue to draw strong interest from foreign and domestic actors despite decreasing...
As of 2016 the Philippines will extend mandatory basic education to 12 years, up from the 10-year mandate that has been in effect since 1987. The increased role of the private sector in providing educational services is crucial to the realisation of this task, with growing opportunities on the horizon and the authorities taking slow but steady steps to define them. Challenges of access and...
The Philippine experiment of combining public health care spending with private sector delivery continues to evolve. As health care remains central to the public interest, there is a heavy onus on improving access and efficiency in accordance with the goal of providing universal health care coverage for all Filipinos by 2016. The year 2015 is expected to focus on consolidation, as...
Directly employing more than one-quarter of all workers in non-service industries, agriculture provided a livelihood for more than 11m Filipinos in 2013. The sector continues to play a pivotal role in the economy, even as the government looks to develop other industries to lead the way in the future. Recent public and private efforts to boost output and efficiency have led to promising...
Just two companies control the fixed-line and mobile telecommunications market; however, competition between these two providers is intense. The mobile network operators are beginning to shift their investment focus to providing more data capacity and related services, preparing networks for the 4G rollout. Despite the two incumbent operators enjoying an entrenched market position that makes...
Stay updated on how some of the world’s most promising markets are being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and what actions governments and private businesses are taking to mitigate challenges and ensure their long-term growth story continues.
Register now and also receive a complimentary 2-month licence to the OBG Research Terminal.
Register Here×