Palace: Indian firms to expand in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Several Indian firms committed to expand their operations in the Philippines, including on agricultural technology, health care and digital infrastructure during their meeting with President Marcos in New Delhi, India on Saturday.

In a statement yesterday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Marcos met with iSON Group, a New Delhi-based conglomerate with businesses in agrotechnology, health care, telecommunications, information technology, renewable energy, business process outsourcing (BPO) and insurance.

According to Trade Secretary Cristina Roque, iSON Group discussed expansion plans in three key areas: agricultural technology, health care, and BPO and digital infrastructure.

The group has committed $75 million in new and scaled-up investments in the Philippines, which is expected to generate around 2,000 jobs, PCO said.

The investments include a proposed $50-million agro-solar project, health care and 24/7 teleconsultation services, and a $10-million expansion in BPO and global delivery centers.?

Roque said the proposed teleconsultation service could help address health care access challenges in remote communities.

The proposed service would cost around P65 per month and allow patients to consult doctors at any time, subject to the company’s final implementation plans.?

“This is very helpful for us, especially in areas where access to doctors and health care facilities remains limited,” Roque said.??

With more than 25,000 employees and operations in around 35 countries, iSON Group through its digital infrastructure arm iSON Tower Ltd. Inc., has operated in the Philippines since 2021 under the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s Common Tower Policy.

The company has deployed around $65 million to build 450 telecommunications towers serving approximately 600 tenants across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Marcos also met with NPCI International Ltd. to advance cooperation on digital payments, including a partnership with LandBank to explore the adoption in the Philippines of a payment system based on India’s Unified Payments Interface.

The initiative could make government payments more efficient, improve interoperability of QR-based payments, and facilitate faster cross-border transactions.

The President likewise met with executives of GMR Group and representatives of Cavitex Holdings Inc. to advance the development of the Sangley Point International Airport project – a world-class, multi-runway aviation hub that will help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Marcos also led an executive roundtable discussion with executives of Cognizant, VVDN Technologies, Hinduja Group and HCLTech, which already have operations or a presence in the Philippines.?Roque said the four companies indicated plans to expand in digitalization, AI, telecommunications and other technology-driven industries.??

Also present during the meetings were Finance Secretary Frederick Go, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda and other senior officials from the Philippine government.?

Marcos was in India to attend the 18th BRICS Summit on Sunday in his capacity as this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

He was also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.