Philippines

Connecting the Philippines’ thousands of islands is a daunting logistical task, made harder by recent setbacks like US and EU downgrades of the civil aviation authority’s safety rating. The government is looking to implement its 2010 National Transportation Policy Agenda in part through a $12.8bn PPP plan unveiled in October 2011. Eight airport projects will be put to tender in 2012, and airline...

The Philippines tourism industry is hoping to emerge from a challenging few years that saw the country blacklisted by Hong Kong and the civil aviation authority downgraded by the US and EU. Although the growth in visitors during those years was solid, arrivals figures are barely a quarter of those seen in powerhouses like Thailand. The country has shifted its international tourism promotion to...

BPO has been a major growth area for the Philippines. The country benefits greatly from a well-educated, English-speaking labour force and now the industry is looking to crack the higher-value knowledge processing outsourcing (KPO) market, taking on back-office tasks like health care information management and legal transcription. With growth of 10-15% anticipated for the medium term, the outlook...

The Philippines has lagged behind its neighbours in developing trade ties, with only 32% of its GDP coming from exports. Exports fell in 2011 as well, although investment in manufacturing over the past two years may reverse this trend in the medium term. Electronics are a major production category, accounting for 51% of exports, with automobiles another strong sector. The Philippines is also...

For a country surrounded by so many major oil and gas producers, the Philippines’ output is surprisingly low, suggesting that there are reserves waiting to be exploited. This may happen in the near future, with more than two dozen production blocks being put up for tender. Moreover, there are vast reserves waiting to be exploited in what the government dubs the West Philippine Sea, although these...

The Philippines insurance industry is poised for strong growth from a low base, being ranked as the third-smallest insurance market in the East Asian region. Penetration levels of just 14% indicate that there is considerable room for expansion. Sectoral figures are lobbying, with some success, to rewrite existing regulations, which they feel impose burdensome tax costs on the industry. Other...