Philippines Sees Surge in Foreign Investment Approvals: P336 Billion in 2026

Foreign investment commitments to the Philippines surged dramatically in the third quarter of 2026, with approved foreign investments reaching ₱166.03 billion, marking a 125.3% increase from ₱73.69 billion in the same period last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

This substantial growth brought total approved foreign investment pledges for the first nine months of 2026 to ₱336.45 billion, nearly double the ₱170.17 billion recorded during the same timeframe in 2025. The data indicates a robust recovery in foreign investment interest, particularly in the manufacturing sector, which alone attracted ₱86.16 billion, accounting for 51.9% of the total foreign investment approvals.

By country of origin, Taiwan emerged as the largest contributor of foreign investments in the third quarter, pledging ₱76.27 billion, which constituted 45.9% of the total. Singapore followed with ₱40.48 billion, while South Korea ranked third with ₱29.48 billion. Other notable contributors included the Netherlands and Japan, which pledged ₱3.712 billion and ₱3.7 billion, respectively.

“Diana R. Rueda said that foreign investment approvals may remain relatively resilient, although geopolitical tensions, higher energy costs, and global financing conditions could affect the timing of new commitments.”Diana R. Rueda, Economics Professor

The surge in foreign investment is attributed to the efforts of various investment promotion agencies (IPAs), including the Board of Investments (BoI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), which collectively approved ₱628.19 billion in total investments from both foreign and Filipino nationals during the third quarter. This reflects an 82.7% increase from ₱343.81 billion in the same period last year.

Despite the significant increase in investment approvals, the PSA reported that the expected job creation from these projects remained relatively stable, with a projected 27,799 jobs anticipated, slightly down from 27,843 in the same quarter of 2025. Of these, 13,805 jobs (49.7%) are expected to come from projects with foreign interest.

“Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go said the Philippines continues to be received very warmly by the global investor market.”Frederick D. Go, Finance Secretary

Diana R. Rueda, an economics professor, said that the rise in foreign pledges illustrates the Philippines' appeal as an investment destination and noted that foreign investment approvals may remain relatively resilient, although geopolitical tensions, higher energy costs, and global financing conditions could affect the timing of new commitments.

Moreover, Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go highlighted the overall positive trend, revealing that total investments approved by the BoI, PEZA, and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) reached ₱1.4 trillion in the first ten months of 2026, a 39% increase from ₱1.06 trillion in the previous year.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo expressed confidence in surpassing the BoI's ₱1 trillion investment target for 2026, citing a strong pipeline of about ₱500 billion in expected approvals across various sectors, including renewable energy, manufacturing, and information and communications technology.