Philippines sends top-level team on investment mission

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine economic managers and businessmen are scheduled to hold an investment roadshow in March to lure more foreign companies to set up shop in the Philippines amid the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima are expected to lead the delegation to the Philippine Business & Investment Forum scheduled in New York on March 3.

The forum initiated under the leadership of Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. would bring together influential leaders from the Filipino government and private sector, along with their US and relevant international counterparts.

An in-depth analysis of the Philippine economic and political situation as well as opportunities for investors both in capital markets and in industry would be presented during the forum.

“The Philippines has transformed over the years to become one of the most resilient economies in the world, owing to strong fundamentals that include low and stable inflation, and sound financial system backed by prudent monetary policy and banking supervision,” Tetangco said.

“Through the PBIF, we will be able to elaborate on how we did it. We will also be able to give potential investors and other observers a picture of where the economy may be headed, as well as the various opportunities that await them,” he added.

With upcoming May 2016 elections, the international investors’ community is looking at the political panorama that may influence Philippine economic policy.

Investors need to consider the right information before making investment decisions. Chief of their concerns: having enough confidence that electoral politics and outcomes will not roll back the successful reforms and gains made in this administration.

Purisima said the forum would allow economic managers to convey the continuity of the administration’s economic policy fundamentals through the next electoral cycle, to evaluate investment plans and specific prospects in strategic sectors, and to provide a platform for direct networking and business.

“The Philippines has a great economic story to tell. Our turnaround from ‘the sick man of Asia’ to the region’s resilient, bright spot is something that the Filipino people can be proud of. It is a product of painstaking discipline and good governance. We want to go out there and share the fact that despite strong external headwinds, the Philippines is here to stay as a place for growth,” Purisima said.

The event includes a welcome networking event in Manhattan on March 2, the central forum on March 3, and private roundtable discussions on March 4.

“Many have placed their faith in our future as investment partners; they have not been failed with the continued rollout of our good governance agenda. We’d like to invite more partners to come write our story of growth with us for the next six years and even beyond,” Purisima said.

Other key figures who will be speaking at the event include Ramon Jimenez Jr., Secretary of Tourism; Enrique Razon, chairman and president of ICTSI; Gregory Domingo, former Secretary of Trade and Industry; Amb. John Negroponte, co-chairman of the US Philippines Society; Roberto Garcia, chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority; Arthur Tan, CEO of IMI Global; Alexander Cabrera, chairman and senior partner, PwC – Isla Lapina; Roberto de Ocampo, co-vice chairman, Makati Business Club; Alexander Feldman, president and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council and John Goyer, senior director South East Asia for the US Chamber of Commerce.

The lead partners for the event are the Government of the Philippines and the US Philippines Society. Other institutional partners are The Makati Business Club, the US ASEAN Business Council, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, and AMCHAM Philippines. – With Prinz Magtulis