Stay, expand in the Philippines
"Stay in the Philippines. Expand in the Philippines. And build your future in the Philippines,” Recto told members of the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), urging US companies to help transform the eight-decade Philippine-American alliance into a forward-looking economic partnership.
He said the LEC will link Subic, Clark, Manila and Batangas into a hub for logistics, manufacturing, connectivity and innovation. The corridor is expected to generate up to one million jobs and help drive economic growth.
He also invited US companies to expand their investments in electronics and semiconductors, particularly in advanced packaging, integrated circuit design, research and development, supply-chain resilience, front-end semiconductor capabilities and critical minerals processing.
Move beyond extracting, exporting critical minerals
The Philippines aims to move beyond extracting and exporting critical minerals by building domestic capacity in processing, manufacturing and innovation.
“We want more factories rising here, critical minerals processed — not just extracted and exported. More electronics proudly made in the Philippines. And more Filipino engineers, technicians and researchers given the chance to thrive,” Recto said.
He said the Pax Silica partnership allows American companies to bring technology, capital, research and training to the Philippines.
“We do not want American companies to simply buy from the Philippines. We want you to bring your technology here. Bring your capital and research here. Train Filipino talent here. And build your next breakthrough here,” he said.
Recto acknowledged that investor confidence depends on a capable workforce, competitive costs, predictable regulations, reliable infrastructure and efficient government.
“Your confidence cannot be demanded. It must be earned. And that is exactly what we intend to do,” he said.
