THE Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) recorded P195.7 billion worth of investment approvals for January to April 2018, an increase of 28 percent compared to the same period last year when it posted P153.1 billion.
“The strong macroeconomic fundamentals and the continuous policy reforms sustained the increase of investments in the country,” Trade Secretary and BOI Chairman Ramon Lopez said.
“The additional projects registered in April maybe moderate but over the coming months, we express confidence more investors will continue to come in and make up for the shortfall. We also expect that foreign direct investments (FDI) will pick up, as its outlook is always long-term, which will generate more jobs and business opportunities,” Lopez said.
Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo elaborated that the bulk of the investment projects for the month of April came from the six air transport projects of Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL), with a combined investment amount of P19.05 billion while the biggest single project approved was the P5.2-billion project of MWM Terminals, Inc., a public-private partnership (PPP) known as the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
“These six projects by PAL alone indicate there is strong passenger traffic demand and once operational, it will re-energize the tourism industry, especially when Boracay reopens before the end of the year,” Rodolfo said.
The renewable energy/power sector remained the number one source of investments with P104.3 billion in the first four months of 2018, up 401 percent from last year’s P20.8 billion in the same period. This was followed by the transportation and storage sector, which generated P37.5 billion, up by a remarkable 1566 percent from P2.25 billion in the same period last year. Manufacturing investment projects reached P15.9 billion, a three percent uptick from last year’s P15.4 billion in the same frame.
The water supply, sewerage and waste management Sector (P13.9 billion) and real estate category (P12.7 billion) rounded up the top five sectors.
Countryside investments continue to dominate the figures from January to April, with an aggregate P165.5 billion, or 84.6 percent of the total investment pie.
The National Capital Region (NCR) accounted for the remaining 15.6 percent share.
Overall, Central Luzon (Region III) continues to be the frontrunner among all regions with P77.4 billion in investment approvals, up 501 percent from last year’s P12.9 billion during the four-month frame. Calabazon (Region IVA) is the runner-up with P52.8 billion. NCR is third with Davao Region (Region XI) and Western Visayas (Region VI) completing the top five with P14.1 billion and P3.5 billion, respectively. (PR)