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While the geographic features of the Philippine archi¬pelago have historically hindered the creation of an efficient transport network, given the obstacles to increased productivity and growth posed by the country’s many islands and congested road system, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has made infrastructure development a top priority. As a result, an array of major transport projects are being rolled out across the country under the Build, Build, Build programme, whereby the government has set about accelerating infrastructure investment, focusing on projects to integrate the archipelago’s islands and stimulate development, including major upgrades to road, railway and port systems. This chapter contains interviews with Dennis Uy, Founder and Chairman, Chelsea Logistics; and Steve Dicdican, CEO, Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Favourable government policies and a growing, increas¬ingly urbanised population have created fertile ground for the expansion of the Philippines’ construction sec¬tor in recent years. Driven by major investments in transport networks, residential complexes and social housing, the construction industry grew at an average annual rate of 12% from 2012 to 2016. The annual growth rate more than halved in 2017, falling from 12.1% to 5.3%, but as of the first quarter of 2018 growth was registered at 9.3% year-on-year. A confluence of economic forces has also bolstered real estate demand in recent years, with an influx of out¬sourcing firms, rising incomes, cash-laden investors and the liberalisation of key sectors all playing a part. This chapter contains interviews with Edgar Injap Sia II, CEO and Chairman, DoubleDragon Properties; and Willie J Uy, President and CEO, 8990 Holdings.

Ranking consistently among the top global providers of business process outsourcing, the Philippines is now undertaking a significant widening and deepen¬ing of its portfolio of third-party services. The sector has begun its transition to higher-skilled and more value-added operations, while also adapting to the challenge of new technologies such as artificial intel¬ligence and robotic process automation. Meanwhile, the industry continues to be a major employer and significant source of revenue for the country. It has also become a key facet of regional development, as companies move away from traditional centres like Manila to lower-cost provinces and second-tier cities. This chapter contains an interview with Travis Coates, Managing Director, Teleperformance Philippines.

While the Philippines has a robust economy with sound macroeconomic fundamentals, its telecoms sector still lags behind global standards, in large part due to a lack of competition and limited investment. In spite of this, the domestic telecoms market is ripe for change and set to welcome a major new player, following the pres¬ident’s promise to accelerate network modernisation. Consequently, rising capital expenditure in communi¬cations infrastructure, as well as spectrum reallocation, is set to revolutionise the digital landscape. Under the national Build, Build, Build agenda, the incumbent administration wants to transform the Philippines into an upper-middle income nation by 2022. To achieve this target, limitations on foreign ownership within the telecoms industry will be lifted to attract investment. This chapter contains interviews with Ernesto R Alberto, Executive Vice-president and Chief Revenue Officer, PLDT; and President and CEO, ePLDT; and Hans Bayaborda, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines.

With GDP growth averaging 6.4% between 2010 and 2017, the Philippines is home to one of the top-perform¬ing economies in South-east Asia. Buoyed by its robust services sector, the economy has remained strong due to rising investment in manufacturing projects, strong remittance inflows from overseas workers and an infrastructure-spending surge under the government’s Build, Build, Build development programme. Foreign direct investment (FDI) reached an all-time high in 2017 as investors flocked to capitalise on rising domestic demand and optimistic growth projections. FDI is expected to increase once again in 2018, sup¬ported by both a young and skilled workforce, and rising government spending, with the long-awaited Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion initiative expected to augment public coffers. This chapter contains interviews with Carlos G Dominguez III, Secretary of Finance; and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO, Ayala Corporation.

Despite the accelerated growth of other industries in recent decades, agriculture remains a pillar of the Philippine economy, providing employment for 27% of the labour force in 2016, according to the most recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. Although the sector’s contribution to GDP has declined in recent decades, falling from over 30% in the 1970s to 9.65% in 2016, there have been recent signs of revitalisation. The previously sluggish sector grew by 6.20% in the second quarter of 2017, with gross output increasing by 3.95% throughout the year, on the back of improved performances in palay, corn, sugarcane, poultry, agricultural services and forestry. This chapter contains an interview with Emmanuel Piñol, Secretary of Agriculture.