RECENT NEWS
New Straits Times  10 hrs ago  Comment 
MANILA: Suspected al-Qaida-linked militants in the southern Philippines beheaded a schoolteacher after kidnapping him last month, officials said Monday.
Bloomberg  12 hrs ago  Comment 
(Update1) The Philippines, the world’s top rice importer, plans to buy 600,000 metric tons in its biggest tender in at least two years after storms hurt local harvests, raising competition for global supplies even as output drops.
Commodity Online  Nov 9  Comment 
The Philippines government will buy rice from Vietnam and South Korea in order to the offset the rice shortage caused by recent typhoon.
Commodity Online  Nov 6  Comment 
The Philippines s gross international reserves rose to a record $43.18 billion last month from the revised September level of $42.53 billion said country s central bank.
New Straits Times  Nov 6  Comment 
THE Philippines can attract and repel at the same time.
Commodity Online  Nov 6  Comment 
Philippines on Friday said it will import 30 000 tones of mostly top quality rice mostly from Thailand and Vietnam.
New Straits Times  Nov 5  Comment 
THE Philippines can attract and repel at the same time.
Bloomberg  Nov 5  Comment 
The Philippines should exchange more of its short-dated bonds for longer tenors with bigger sizes to spur trading, central bank Governor Amando Tetangco said.
Sydney Morning Herald  Nov 5  Comment 
Gunmen have opened fire on a commuter bus in the restive southern Philippines, have killed two and wounded eight passengers, authorities say.
Bloomberg  Nov 5  Comment 
(Update1) The Philippine central bank will probably keep borrowing costs at a record low to boost growth after tropical storms damaged crops and infrastructure, threatening the Southeast Asian nation’s economic recovery.
Suggest a News Source
Topic
Top news source/blog that we're missing
Why do you recommend this news source?
Close 
Thanks for your suggestion!
 
RELATED WIKI ARTICLES
 
TOP CONTRIBUTORS


Why invest in the Philippines?

The Philippines is the third-largest English speaking country in the world, enabling its manpower to have a unique edge over neighboring countries in terms of labor quality. Its workforce is easily trainable and generally skilled. Flanked by the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, its strategic location makes it a critical entry point to some 500 million people in the ASEAN market - offering vast trade opportunities - and an ideal base for business. It is also the best Asian country in terms of overall quality of expatriate life, considering its cultural compatibility with expatriates, housing, sporting and recreational facilities, quality healthcare, and first-rate educational institutions.

Being an archipelago, the Philippines has a lot to offer as well in terms of natural resources. Its 7,100 islands boast numerous white and black sand beaches, making it eminently attractive to vacationers and tourists. Its amazing marine biodiversity affords abundant species of flora and fauna. Land-wise, it is also among the biggest producers of copper and gold in the world.

Considering its strategic location, unique edge as an English speaking country and rich natural resources, the cost of doing business in the Philippines is surprisingly low, with wages down to less than one-fifth of that in the U.S. Communication, electricity and housing costs can go as low as a mere half of the costs in the U.S. Foreign companies now outsourcing programming and business processes to the Philippines incur 30 to 40% business cost savings, 15 to 30% call center services, and 35 to 50% application systems and software development. However infrastructures in the Philippines lag behind those of comparable countries. Furthermore, weather conditions put a regular threat on those infrastructures with frequent typhoons.

Business policies of the government tend to be investor-friendly. It has allowed more private sector participation in the development of infrastructure and services through privatization. The innovative Build-Operate-Transfer scheme has been adopted by the government. Foreign ownership of up to 100% is also allowed in almost all economic sectors. Attractive incentives are offered in numerous Special Economic Zones and Industrial Estates, which are being promoted as agricultural, industrial, commercial and recreational hubs.

Private consumption is the key driver of the Philippines economy as it represents more than 70% of GDP, a high level compared to regional peers. This private consumption is also fueled by the high level of remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Remittances represented 10% of the GDP in 2008.

How to invest

Foreign corporations must first register with the Securities and Exchange Commission before they can engage in business in the Philippines. The necessary licenses or registration certificates must be secured from the appropriate government agencies, depending on where the project is to be located.

For projects outside special economic zones (SEZs), go to the Board of Investments.

For projects in any of the SEZs under the PEZA, go to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

For projects in the Subic Bay Freeport, go to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

For projects in the Clark SEZ, go to the Clark Development Corporation.

For projects in the Cagayan SEZ, go to the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.

For projects in the Zamboanga City SEZ, go to the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority.

Wikinvest © 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. Use of this site is subject to express Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimer. By continuing past this page, you agree to abide by these terms. Any information provided by Wikinvest, including but not limited to company data, competitors, business analysis, market share, sales revenues and other operating metrics, earnings call analysis, conference call transcripts, industry information, or price targets should not be construed as research, trading tips or recommendations, or investment advice and is provided with no warrants as to its accuracy. Stock market data, including US and International equity symbols, stock quotes, share prices, earnings ratios, and other fundamental data is provided by data partners. Stock market quotes delayed at least 15 minutes for NASDAQ, 20 mins for NYSE and AMEX. Market data by Xignite. See data providers for more details. Company names, products, services and branding cited herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The use of trademarks or service marks of another is not a representation that the other is affiliated with, sponsors, is sponsored by, endorses, or is endorsed by Wikinvest.
Powered by MediaWiki