By Brian Campued
On the heels of the New Delhi leg of his state visit to India, which saw the signing of key agreements, including the Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and India, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday donned his salesman hat to encourage Indian business leaders to invest in the country.
In a speech delivered during a business forum in Bengaluru, the President emphasized his administration’s goal to “make the Philippines a trusted, connected, and competitive node in the Indo-Pacific economy.”
“This is the spirit of our administration’s Bagong Pilipinas vision—a new Philippines that enables innovation, drives inclusive growth, and welcomes partners who share our aspirations for prosperity and for progress.”
According to Marcos Jr., the Philippines is actively seeking strategic investments and partnerships with Indian companies in six priority sectors, including electric vehicles, fast electronics, renewable energy, high-tech agriculture, healthcare, and cybersecurity.
“In each of these sectors, we envision joint ventures and technical collaborations that build enduring industrial capabilities,” he said.
He likewise cited the country’s robust economic growth, along with various legislative reforms the government has implemented as well as the English-speaking Filipino workforce, which helped position the Philippines as a prime investment destination for foreign businesses.
“We are continuously finding ways to make the Philippines an even more conducive place to do business.”
During the forum, the President witnessed the ceremonial presentation of 18 business agreements between Philippine and Indian companies, covering a wide range of strategic sectors, such as:
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development of a waste-to-energy facility
- Letters of Intent (LOI) for the establishment of digital academies and expansion of operations in healthcare outsourcing and business process management, as well as training on artificial intelligence.
- Agreements for projects involving the construction of telecommunications tower, expansion of precision sheet metal manufacturing, and a copper smelting and refining venture.
- MOUs covering digital finance, commercial real estate development, and sustainable last-mile logistics.
- LOIs for the expansion of dialysis centers, clinical outsourcing services, and fuel cell technology ventures.
“They are tangible outcomes of our collaborative efforts and will serve as the foundation for ongoing and future business engagements between our two nations,” Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina Roque said.
Meanwhile, Marcos stressed that these deals are “not just transactional partnerships” but “robust pillars of shared prosperity.”
“Together, we can share and then shape regional norms, deepen supply chain resilience, and lead in inclusive innovation,” he said.
The President also held one-on-one meetings with executives from ISON Tower, NephroPlus, Hinduja Group, and Tata Consultancy Services—Indian companies that expressed interest in expanding operations in the Philippines in areas such as digital infrastructure, healthcare, IT-BPM, and digital transformation and workforce development. (with report from Kenneth Paciente / PTV News)
-jpv
