Trade & Investment

After years of lagging behind its South-east Asian peers, the Philippines is seeing a long-awaited awakening of foreign direct investment (FDI). Although FDI volumes are still smaller than what countries in its peer group attract, the Philippines has been catching up at an impressive pace. Although many of the challenges that impeded investment in the past have yet to be fully overcome, the faster economic growth of recent years and stronger efforts to attract investment have improved perceptions of the country’s prospects. FDI rose from $1.1bn in 2010 to $4.9bn in the first nine months of 2014 as economic growth has accelerated and business policies have improved. This chapter contains an interview with Arthur R Tan, President and CEO, Integrates Micro-electronics; and a dialogue with Edwin CoSeteng, President, First Philippine Industrial Park and Guillermo Luchangco, Chairman and CEO, Science Park of the Philippines.