Biden to send special trade mission to Philippines

US president Joseph R. Biden, Jr. vowed to send a “first of its kind” Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines.

Mr. Biden made the announcement during his meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. at the Oval Office on Monday.

“President Biden and President Marcos resolve to draw on the strength of their partnership to promote enduring economic growth and prosperity in the United States, the Philippines, and the broader Indo-Pacific region,” they said in a joint statement posted on the White House website.

Mr. Biden will send the trade and investment mission “to enhance US companies’ investment in the Philippines’ innovation economy, its clean energy transition and critical minerals sector, and the food security of its people.”

The trade and investment mission will include the “highest caliber of US business leaders.”

The Philippines and the US will co-host the 6th annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) in Manila in 2024 to “further establish the Philippines as a key hub for regional supply chains and high-quality investment.”

The IPBF is the United States’ marquee annual commercial event in the region, convening the highest level of public and private sector leaders to review policy developments, announce new investments, and identify new commercial partnerships.

The US Department of Commerce is also planning to dispatch its first-ever trade mission on agricultural technology to the Philippines in September 2023, with stops in Manila and Davao City.

The US is also planning to establish a brick-and-mortar Open RAN Interoperability Lab in Manila. This would advance and secure the 5G rollout in the Philippines, strengthen the Southeast Asian nation’s innovation economy, and provide digital upskilling opportunities to Filipino workers, the White House said.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Also, the White House said the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will launch new infrastructure activities intended to leverage over $3 billion in public and private financing to boost the Philippines’ critical mineral supply chains, advance smart grid technologies and clean energy solutions, promote secure 5G deployment, strengthen airport security and maritime safety, and support healthcare infrastructure.

It will also launch “a new partnership” to scale up infrastructure development in the Philippines and support the construction of “high-quality” railways, ports, and transport systems.

“The USAID commitment is a significant step-up in funding Philippine infrastructure, as it will now be at least twenty times bigger than its previous 2021 commitment of $160 million. But the proof of any commitment is in its actual implementation,” Terry L. Ridon, convenor of Manila-based InfraWatch, said.

Also, Manila and Washington intended to expand air connectivity and modernize their bilateral aviation relationship by having a technical aviation dialogue at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Forum’ Transportation Ministerial Meeting in Detroit.

The two countries also plan to boost cooperation on space situational awareness and the use of space for maritime domain awareness through the first-ever US-Philippines Civil Space Dialogue.

“The countries will collaborate on the use of space-based technology in the areas of disaster management and emergency response, healthcare, mapping of resources and accessibility, pollution monitoring, deforestation, land use and infrastructure planning, and maritime awareness,” the White House said.

The Philippines and US also agreed to set a ministerial team on agricultural cooperation. It also seeks to expand market access of Philippine agricultural products to the US, Manila’s Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said.

AID

Washington also vowed to support the Philippines’ development programs aimed at building “resilient” and “healthy” communities.

The USAID will mobilize $100 million over the next five years to increase access to safe drinking water for 1.22 million Filipinos and provide sanitation services to 710,000 people, the White House said.

It will also provide an additional $5.3 million for Philippine disaster risk reduction and resilience programs.

“USAID will award an additional $8 million, pending Congressional notification, to support global health security in the Philippines and invest in the Philippines’ biosafety and laboratory capacity, disease surveillance, risk communication, and emergency preparedness,” it added.

Manila and Washington also plan to establish a bilateral Labor Working Group, which is in line with the US-Philippines Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.

It will serve as an important platform through which the two countries can collaborate to accelerate implementation of internationally recognized labor rights.

Leonardo A. Lanzona, who teaches economics at the Ateneo de Manila University, said these new investments should take into consideration productive employment and skills development.

“Investments can cause greater unemployment if these require skills that are not available in the country. In the process, only capital may receive higher returns, thereby unequally benefiting only US interest,” he said via Messenger chat.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Meanwhile, Oregon-based nuclear energy company NuScale Power Corp. expressed interest in investing in the Philippines.

In a meeting with Mr. Marcos, the company’s representatives said NuScale will conduct a study on a suitable location for its plant in the Philippines.

NuScale is known for designing small modular reactors (SMRs) that could power 60,000 per unit. It has existing nuclear projects in Utah, Romania, Indonesia, and Poland.

NuScale is expected to invest $6.5 billion to $7.5 billion to provide 430 megawatts to the Philippines by 2031, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in a separate statement.

The Philippines “essentially has a shortfall in power supply” and the entry of NuScale would help address this issue, Mr. Marcos told the company, based on a PCO release.

However, Khevin A. Yu, energy transition campaigner at Greenpeace Philippines, said nuclear energy companies are making the Philippines a “guinea pig” for “untested risky technologies.”

“SMRs are still untested and unproven, and there is currently no way to safely store nuclear waste,” Mr. Yu said in a statement.

Source: Business World

FAQ On Foreign Investment In The Philippines

1. How does the Philippines define foreign corporations?

Foreign corporations has been defined as one, which owes its existence to the laws

of another state, and generally, has no legal existence within another state. Section

123 of the Corporation Code defines a foreign corporation as one formed, organized,

and existing under any laws other than those of the Philippines and whose laws allow

Filipino citizens and corporations to do business in the Philippines.

2. What is the general policy of the government for foreign investments?

The Philippine government is encouraging foreign investors to invest in the country

with businesses that will provide opportunities in employment, develop the

productivity of resources, heighten the volume as well as the value of exports and

provide the future development of the economy’s foundation.

3. Can a foreign company invest in the Philippines?

Yes. The Foreign Investment Act (R.A. 7042, 1991, amended by R.A. 8179, 1996)

liberalized the entry of foreign investment into the Philippines. Under the FIA, foreign

investors are generally treated like their domestic counterparts and must register with

the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (in the case of a corporation or

partnership) or with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Trade

Regulation and Consumer Protection (in the case of a sole proprietorship).

4. What is the percentage of foreign equity allowed under the FIA?

With the liberalization of the foreign investment law, 100% foreign equity may be

allowed in all areas of investment except those reserved for Filipinos under the

Philippine Constitution and existing laws.

5. What are those businesses with foreign investment restrictions?

Within the 1991 Foreign Investment Act (FIA) there are two negative lists, also known

as the “Foreign Investment Negative List”, which defines the foreign investments,

which are limited or restricted by the Constitution and specific laws. Negative List A

and Negative List B.

6. What is the coverage of Negative List A?

In Negative List A, foreign ownership in certain businesses is limited by mandate of

the Constitution and specific laws. These are:

No Foreign Equity

1. Mass Media except recording

2. Practice of professions

3. Retail trade enterprises with paid-up capital of not less than US$2,500,000.00

4. Cooperatives

5. Private Security Agencies

6. Small-scale Mining

7. Utilization of Marine Resources in archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and

exclusive economic zone

8. Ownership, operation and management of cockpits

9. Manufacture, repair, stockpiling and/or distribution of nuclear weapons

10. Manufacture, repair, stockpiling and/or distribution of biological, chemical and

radiological weapons and anti-personal mines

11. Manufacture of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices

Up to Twenty Percent (20%) Foreign Equity

12. Private radio communication network

Up to Twenty-Five Percent (25%) Foreign Equity

13. Private recruitment, whether for local or overseas employment

14. Contracts for the construction and repair of locally-funded public works, except:

a. infrastructure/development projects covered in RA 7718; and

b. projects which are foreign funded or assisted and required to undergo international

competitive bidding (Sec. 2(a) of RA 7718)

15. Contracts for construction of defense-related structure

Up to Thirty Percent (30%) Foreign Equity

16. Advertising

Up to Forty Percent (40%) Foreign Equity

17. Exploration, development and utilization of natural resources

18. Ownership of Private Lands

19. Operation and management of public utilities

20. Ownership/establishment and administration of educational institutions

21. Culture, production, milling, processing, trading excepting retailing, of rice and

corn and acquiring, by barter, purchase or otherwise, rice and corn and the byproducts

thereof

22. Contracts for the supply of materials, goods and commodities to government owned

or controlled corporation, company, agency or Municipal Corporation

23. Project Proponent and facility Operator of a BOT project requiring a public

utilities franchise

24. Operation of deep-sea commercial fishing vessels

25. Adjustment Companies

26. Ownership of condominium units where the common areas in the condominium

projects are co-owned by the owners of the separate units or owned by a

corporation

Up to Sixty Percent (60%) Foreign Equity

27. Financing companies regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission

28. Investment houses regulated by the SEC

7. What is the coverage of Negative List B?

In Negative List B, foreign ownership in certain business is limited for reason of

security, defense, risk to health and morals and protection of small-and-medium scale

enterprises. These are:

Up to Forty Percent (40 %) Foreign Equity

1. Manufacture, repair, storage and/or distribution of products and/or ingredients

requiring Philippine National Police (PNP) clearance:

a. Firearms (handguns to shotguns), parts of firearms and ammunition

therefore, instruments or implements used or intended to be used in the

manufacture of firearms

b. Gunpowder

c. Dynamite

d. Blasting supplies

e. Ingredients used in making explosives

f. Telescopic sight, sniper scope and other similar devices

2. Manufacture, repair, storage and/or distribution of products requiring

Department of National Defense (DND) clearance;

a. Guns and ammunition for warfare

b. Military ordnance and parts thereof (e.g., torpedoes, depth charges,

bombs, grenades, missiles)

c. Gunnery, bombing and fire control systems and components

d. Guided missiles/missile systems and components

e. Tactical aircraft (fixed and rotary -winged), parts and components thereof

f. Space vehicles and component systems

g. Combat vessels (air. land and naval) and auxiliaries

h. Weapons repair and maintenance equipment

i. Military communications equipment

j. Night vision equipment

k. Stimulated coherent radiation devices, components and accessories

l. Armament training devices

m. Others as may be determined by the Secretary of the DND

3. Manufacture and distribution of dangerous drugs

4. Sauna and steam bathhouses, massage clinics and other like activities

regulated by law because of risks posed to public health and morals

5. All forms of gambling, e.g. race track operation

6. Domestic market enterprises with paid-in equity capital of less than the

equivalent of US$200,000

7. Domestic market enterprises, which involve advanced technology or employ at

least fifty (50) direct employees with paid-in-equity capital of less than the

equivalent of US$100,000

8. What requirements must be complied with before a foreign corporation

can do business in the Philippines?

If the foreign corporation itself intends to do business in the Philippines under its

foreign charter, the foreign corporation must first secure a “License to do Business in

the Philippines” from the Philippine Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).

If the foreign corporation intends to do business in the Philippines by incorporating a

Philippine company, the foreign corporation must first secure the approval of the SEC

by filing its incorporation papers, together with authenticated copies of its foreign

charter and by-laws.

9. Is there a need for the foreign corporation to appoint its local agent in

the Philippines?

Yes, if the foreign corporation intends to do business in the Philippines under its

foreign charter. Among the things to be stated in the verified application are the name

and address of the foreign corporation’s resident agent authorized to accept

summons and process in all legal proceedings and, pending the establishment of a

local office, all notices affecting the corporation.

10. How will the foreign corporation appoint its Philippine local agent?

A written power of attorney must be filed by the foreign corporation with the SEC

designating some person who must be a resident of the Philippines, on whom service

of summons and other legal processes may be served in all actions or other legal

proceedings against such corporation, and consenting that service upon such

resident agent shall be admitted and held as valid as if served upon the duly

authorized officers of the foreign corporation at its home office.

11. Is there a need for the foreign corporation to execute an agreement with the

SEC regarding service of summons?

Yes. In consideration of its being granted a “License to Do Business in the

Philippines”, the foreign corporation shall execute and file with the SEC an

agreement or stipulation agreeing that if at any time said corporation shall cease to

transact business in the Philippines or shall be without any resident agent in the

Philippines on whom any summons or other legal processes may be served, then in

any action or proceeding arising out of any transaction or business which occurred in

the Philippines, service of any summons or other legal processes may be made upon

the SEC and that such service shall have the same force and effect as if its is made

upon the duly authorized officers of the foreign corporation at its home office.

12. What is the effect of failure to appoint or maintain a local agent?

The failure to appoint or maintain a resident agent in the Philippines, or after change

of its resident agent or his address, failure to submit to the SEC a statement of such

change, are grounds for revocation of a license granted to a foreign corporation to do

business in the Philippines.

13. Is there any Reciprocity Compliance?

Yes. Attached to the application shall also be a duly executed certificate under oath

by the authorized official or officials of the jurisdiction of incorporation of the foreign

corporation, attesting to the fact that the laws of the country or state of the applicant

allow Filipino citizens and corporation to do business therein.

14. Is there a need to deposit Securities?

Yes. Within sixty (60) days from issuance of the license to do business, such foreign

corporation shall deposit with the SEC, for the benefit of its present and future

creditors, Philippine securities in the actual market value of at least Php100,000.00,

subject to further deposit of additional securities every six months after each fiscal

year equivalent in actual market value to two percent (2%) of the amount by which

the foreign corporation’s gross income for that fiscal year exceeds Php5,000,000.00.

15. What is the effect of being issued a “License to Do Business in the

Philippines”?

When a foreign corporation is issued the license to do business in the Philippines, it

may commence to transact its business in the Philippines and continue to do so for

as long as it retain its authority to act as a corporation under the laws of the country

or state of its incorporation, unless such license is sooner surrendered, revoked,

suspended, or annulled.

16. What are the consequences of not obtaining a license to do business?

A foreign corporation doing business in the Philippines without first obtaining the

license to do business (a) shall not be permitted to maintain or intervene in any

action, suit or proceeding in any court or administrative agency of the Philippines; (b)

but such foreign corporation may be sued or proceeded against before Philippine

courts or administrative tribunals on any valid cause of action recognized under

Philippine laws.

17. Are there any tax incentives for foreign corporations investing in the

Philippines?

Yes. There are several tax incentives available to foreign corporations depending on

the government office or export zone under which such foreign corporation intends to

undertake or register its investment.

18. Can foreign corporations acquire or own land in the Philippines?

Yes, provided the following requirements are met: (a) it must be a private land, which

means any land of private ownership; and (b) the foreign equity in the corporation

must not exceed forty percent (40%).

19. What will happen if foreign ownership exceeds forty percent (40%)?

The effect would be that the foreign corporation would lose its capacity to hold the

private land. They may, however, be granted temporary rights such as a lease

contract which is not prohibited by the Constitution.

20. What are the other exceptions to the ownership of land by foreign

investors and corporations?

a. Acquisition through hereditary succession;

b. Purchase by a former natural-born Filipino citizen pursuant to the Dual

Citizenship Law which states that a former Filipino re-acquiring his Filipino

Citizenship shall be deemed not to have lost his Philippine citizenship, thus

enabling them to enjoy all the rights and privileges of a Filipino;

c. If a former natural-born Filipino who has become a naturalized citizen of

another state opts not to re-acquire Filipino citizenship according to the Dual

Citizenship Act, he may nonetheless own land but limited to the following

according to BP 185 and RA 8179):

i. For residential use:

1. Up to 1,000 square meters of residential land

2. Up to 1 hectare of agricultural land

ii. For business or commercial use

1. Up to 5,000 square meters of urban land

2. Up to 3 hectares of rural land

d. Purchase of not more than 40% interest in a condominium project; and

e. Ownership through Filipinos who are married to aliens who retain their Filipino

citizenship

21. Can foreign corporations own real properties in the Philippines other

than land?

Yes. Foreign corporations can acquire other immovable or real properties such as

buildings and other improvements on the land, including condominium units.

22. Are foreigners and foreign corporations allowed to lease lands in the

Philippines?

Yes. Foreign investors investing in the Philippines can now lease private lands up to

75 years. Based on R.A. No. 7652, entitled “Investor’s Lease Act”, lease

agreements may be entered into with Filipino landowners. Lease period is 50 years,

renewable once for another 25 years. For tourism projects, the lease shall be limited

to projects with an investment of not less than US$5M, 70% of which shall be infused

in said project within 3 years from signing of the lease contract.

23. Are arbitration clauses accepted in the Philippines?

Yes. Consistent with UNCITRAL Model Law, the Alternative Dispute Resolution

(ADR) Act of 2004 was recently enacted. The Law promotes the use of different

modes of ADR for the speedy and impartial dispensation of justice. The ADR Act

expressly adopted under Section 19 thereof the UNCITRAL Model Law as the law

governing international commercial arbitration in the Philippines. /in short, the ADR

Act has now opened the window for the Philippines to be a venue for international

commercial arbitration and mediation.

24. Can foreign corporations participate in bidding for projects by the

Philippine Government?

Yes. Under the “Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003”, all procurement shall

be done through competitive bidding, a method of procurement which is open to

participation by any interested party

BoP surplus hits $1.27 billion in March

The Philippines’ balance of payments (BoP) surplus hit a two-month high of $1.27 billion in March, mainly driven by foreign currency deposits from the National Government and the central bank’s investments abroad.

Data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Wednesday showed that the March surplus was bigger than the $754-million surfeit a year earlier. This is also a turnaround from the $895-million deficit in February.

This is also the biggest BoP surplus since the $3.08-billion surfeit in January.

“The BoP surplus in March 2023 reflected inflows arising mainly from the National Government’s (NG) net foreign currency loans, which were deposited with the BSP, and net income from the BSP’s investments abroad,” the central bank said in a statement.

The BoP gives a glimpse into the country’s transactions with the rest of the world. A deficit means more funds left the country, while a surplus shows that more money came in.

“The BoP surplus in March was likely supported by a narrowing trade gap. Latest trade data showed that the deficit in February was at the lowest in four months amid a weaker outturn in both exports and imports,” China Banking Corp. Chief Economist Domini S. Velasquez said.

Preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the trade gap shrank to $3.88 billion in February, the smallest since the $3.72-billion deficit in November 2022.

Merchandise exports fell by 18.1% year on year to $5.08 billion, while imports slipped by 12.1% to $8.95 billion from a year earlier.

At its end-March level, the BoP reflects a final gross international reserve of $101.5 billion, up by 3.4% from the $98.2 billion a month earlier.

This is enough to cover 6.1 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4.2 times based on residual maturity.

It also represents buffers equivalent to 7.6 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

For the first quarter, the BoP position stood at a $3.45-billion surplus, ballooning from the $495-million surfeit in the same period last year.

Union Bank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said remittances from overseas Filipino workers contributed to higher BoP inflows.

Cash remittances hit a record high of $32.54 billion in 2022, up by 3.6% from $31.42 billion in 2021.

However, latest BSP data showed remittance growth slowed to 2.4% in February from 3.5% in January, marking the weakest annual growth since 2.3% in July 2022.

“The NG has also continued to borrow resulting to higher net foreign borrowings, probably as buffer for future spendings. Moreover, higher foreign direct investments (FDI) have also contributed to the rising BoP surplus,” Mr. Asuncion said in a Viber message.

Treasury data showed gross borrowings in February surged by 606% from P53.121 billion in the same month a year ago. External borrowings almost doubled to P15.984 billion in February from P8.121 billion in the same month in 2022.

Meanwhile, FDI net inflows plunged 45.7% to $448 million in January from $824 million in the same month a year ago, data from the central bank showed.

“Overall, we think that the BoP may continue to be in surplus, but not for long as the global economic recession risk overhang continues to linger and darken the global economic outlook,” Mr. Asuncion said.

For her part, Ms. Velasquez expects the BoP position to end at a slightly narrower deficit this year as price pressures from the Russia-Ukraine war fade.

“The subdued external outlook as advanced economies continue to face recessionary risk will keep exports weak, but we expect Chinese demand to buoy exports towards the second half of the year,” she said.

Ms. Velasquez said investments abroad may support the BoP position amid the recent implementation of investor-friendly reforms.

The central bank expects the BoP position to end the year with a $1.6-billion deficit, narrower than the $7.3-billion deficit in 2022.

Source: Business World