President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday invited American investors to explore opportunities in the Philippines, reaffirming the country’s openness to business and the government’s commitment to improving the investment climate.
“We are ready to work with you. The Philippines is open—and I mean that not as a slogan, but as a commitment from my administration,” President Marcos said during a dinner reception hosted by the LT Group, Inc. (LTG) in New York.
“We have been working hard to improve our investment climate, cut red tape, make it easier to do business, and build something lasting in our country. We are also at a moment of real opportunity,” the President said.
Citing manufacturing as an example, President Marcos noted that, with changes in the global supply chain, businesses no longer concentrate their operations in a single location and are now actively seeking trusted, capable, and strategically located alternatives.
The Philippines is an option, the President pointed out, given its skilled, adaptable, and English-speaking workforce and its continuously improving infrastructure.
The country also has one of the youngest and fastest-growing populations in Asia, he added.
“We have a government that is actively investing in industrial zones and manufacturing corridors, and that is serious about making the Philippines a reliable node in global supply chains,” the President emphasized.
“Whether in electronics, aerospace components, medical device manufacturing, food processing, or high-value manufacturing—the opportunity is real, and it is now,” President Marcos added.
With regard to financial services, the President noted that a large portion of the country’s population remains underserved by traditional banking, creating an enormous business opportunity.
The expansion of the fintech sector, coupled with digital payments, microfinance, and insurance products tailored to the mass market, makes it ripe for innovation and investment, President Marcos noted.
At the same time, the Philippine capital markets are maturing, the President pointed out, noting that the government is actively working to deepen them so the country is not just a market to sell into but a financial center worth building in.
With the expansion of the digital economy, the government is actively engaging the world’s leading hyperscalers, data center operators, and technology companies to make the country part of the infrastructure of the future.
“We are not waiting to be discovered. We are making the case, actively and deliberately, that the Philippines is where you want to be,” the President told businesses.
“So tonight, I encourage you—talk to each other; find the opportunities; and when you do, know that you have a partner in the Philippines who is serious about making it happen,” President Marcos noted.
Attendees include members of the U.S.-Philippines Society (USPS), U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (U.S.-ABC), Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce (PACC), U.S. businessmen and the Philippine business delegation.
The LT Group, Inc. is a leading diversified holding company in the Philippines, founded in 1937 with major interests in banking, tobacco, distilled spirits, beverages, and property development. PND