Total foreign investments (FI) approved in the first quarter of 2015 by the seven investment promotion agencies (IPAs), namely: Board of Investments (BOI), Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) as well as Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), BOI-Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BOI-ARMM), and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), amounted to PhP 21.8 billion, 41.7 percent lower compared to PhP 37.4 billion approved in the same period last year.
Japan was the top investing country during the quarter at PhP 7.2 billion, with a share of 32.8 percent of the total FI commitments. Korea and the United States of America came in second and third, pledging PhP 5.4 billion or 24.6 percent and PhP 1.7 billion or 7.7 percent, respectively, of the total FI approved in Q1 2015.
Manufacturing stands to receive the highest investments, with 41.8 percent share of total FI pledges or PhP 9.1 billion. This was followed by accommodation and food service activities, with investment commitments valued at PhP 4.3 billion, contributing 19.9 percent, and administrative and support service activities at PhP 2.9 billion or 13.1 percent.
In terms of location, bulk of the approved foreign investments would be intended to finance projects in Region IVA – CALABARZON, amounting to PhP 9.1 billion or a share of 41.9 percent. The next highest investments were recorded in Region III – Central Luzon at PhP 6.0 billion or 27.6 percent and in the National Capital Region at PhP 5.5 billion or 25.1 percent.
Approved investments of foreign and Filipino nationals in the first quarter of 2015 went down by 10.1 percent, amounting to PhP 96.5 billion from PhP 107.4 billion registered in Q1 2014. Pledges from Filipino nationals stood at PhP 74.7 billion which accounted for 77.4 percent of the total approved investments.
Foreign and Filipino ventures approved by the seven IPAs in the first quarter of 2015 are expected to generate 45,197 jobs, a decline of 6.8 percent from previous year’s projected employment of 48,489. Out of these anticipated jobs, 53.0 percent or 23,932 jobs would come from projects with foreign interest.
LISA GRACE S. BERSALES, Ph.D.
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General
Contact Persons:
Ms. Cynthia S. Regalado, Mr. John Lourenze S. Poquiz
and Ms. Stephanie Rose R. Moscoso
Tel. No.: (+6 32) 895-5002; (+6 32) 896-7981
Q1 2015 Foreign Investments Summary