PH kickstarts briefings in Middle East with Qatar investor dialogue

The Philippine economic team, led by Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, held its first investor briefing in the Middle East with Philippine Dialogue: Economic Outlook and Opportunities on September 10, 2023 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, Qatar.

The Dialogue served as an avenue for potential investors to sit down with the economic team and actively engage in in-depth discussions on the Philippines’ current investment landscape.

“We believe that the Philippines’ moment has arrived. We look forward to jumpstarting the conversation today and exploring exciting investment opportunities with the Middle East business community in the coming years,” Secretary Diokno said during his keynote message.

The investor roundtable began with welcome remarks from Sandeep Uppal, President and Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Philippines, who touted the Philippines’ growing economy, favorable demographic profile, and economic liberalization efforts.

“Given the very dynamic nature of the Asian markets, while there are a number of markets to choose from, Philippines stands out for me due to three Gs: growing economy which, pre-pandemic, was growing at over 5 percent and is now back on that trend; growing population, which continues to grow from the current base of 115 million; and growing liberalization,” Uppal said, adding that HSBC Group continues to see the Philippines as a key Asian market for their investments.

Following Uppal’s remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Lillibeth V. Pono delivered the opening and introductory remarks, recognizing the Philippines as a gateway to the Indo-Pacific market.

Secretary Diokno highlighted in his keynote the Philippine government’s 197 infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs), 39 of which will be undertaken through public-private partnerships (PPPs).

With this, the Finance Secretary gave investors an overview of the Philippines’ enhanced PPP policy environment, which allowed for faster PPP approvals owing to the revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law; revised Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) guidelines; and enhanced NEDA Joint Venture (JV) Guidelines.

As a result of these policy