Asia Economy

Of all the decisions that will be made by the new president and Congress to be elected in May 2016 elections, none will be more important than whether to pursue membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the 12-member free trade bloc being formed by the US, Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim countries.

The Philippines’ trade and investment sectors are at a crossroads. The new president and Congress elected in May 2016 elections face crucial decisions related to the country’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the “deep” free trade bloc being created by the US, Japan and other Pacific Rim countries. If the new Philippines...

Due to almost half a century of armed conflict between the national government and separatist Muslim groups, peace and order have remained a key roadblock for Mindanao’s development. Being the second-largest and southern-most major island in the Philippine archipelago, Mindanao has always offered great promise as the agricultural basket of the...

Investor attention in the Visayas has been traditionally focused on the Central Visayas region, particularly the island province of Cebu and Cebu City, the latter also known as the Queen City of the South. Both the city and the region have mirrored Metro Manila closely in stature, infrastructure development, progressiveness and economic growth...

Increased saturation, the reduced availability of land and worsening traffic in Metro Manila has progressively led to the migration of the metropolis’ manufacturing into the south. The primary beneficiary and destination for these investments has been Calabarzon, or Region IV-A, comprising the highly urbanised provinces of Cavite, Laguna,...