MANILA – The
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
formally launched Tuesday its new
international marketing campaign “Make It
Happen in the Philippines”, highlighting
five key investment priority sectors.
It is a unified, country-wide, and
multi-sector investment campaign that aims
to attract foreign investors to look into
opportunities in aerospace, automotive,
copper, information technology and
business process management (IT-BPM), and
electronics sectors.
“The country’s new investment promotion
brand, Make it Happen in the Philippines,
is more than just a brand or a tagline. It
speaks of who we are as Filipinos and as a
government. It highlights our genuine
Filipino trait of resilience and ‘make it
work’ mindset that exudes strength and
adaptability even in times of adversity,”
DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said in his
keynote speech.
He added the campaign is also a “promise”
to Filipinos that the country will build
back better amid the global health and
economic crisis.
Aerospace flies
The country positions itself to become the
hub for aerospace manufacturing and
aftermarket services in the Asia Pacific.
The DTI said the existing aerospace supply
chain can meet the diverse requirements of
the industry as the Philippines houses
Tier-1 suppliers of the world’s largest
aerospace manufacturers such as Boeing and
Airbus.
The country is currently producing
aerospace parts, such as flight control
actuation systems, interiors, lavatories,
galleys, oxygen systems, and panel
assembly as well as product design
engineering.
Local aerospace maintenance and repair
operations (MRO) is also growing as major
international carriers choose the
Philippines to maintain their fleets.
MRO capabilities in the country include
line and base maintenance, fleet
management, and cabin reconfiguration.
Aerospace players that are in the
Philippines include Collins Aerospace,
Moog Controls, Lufthansa Technik, and SIA
Engineering.
Automotive speeds ahead
The Philippines is also ready to cater to
the rising export demand for automotive
assembly and parts manufacturing with its
extensive auto supply chain comprising
over 380 parts manufacturers.
Major auto parts producers in the country
include Yazaki Torres, International
Wiring Systems, and Asian Transmission
Corp.
On the other hand, major auto assemblers
in the country include Toyota, Mitsubishi,
Honda, Denso, KTM, Scania, and Volvo.
Copper shines
Having the fourth largest copper reserves
in the world, the Philippines is
well-placed to meet demands from domestic
and international markets.
The country has a diverse extraction
method and manufacturing to produce
high-demand copper-based products such as
cathodes, alloys, and foil.
The DTI targets to lure foreign companies
to invest in building world-class copper
mines, wire rod casting facilities, and
manufacturing of higher-value copper
products.
The country has copper reserves of 4
billion metric tons. Annually, 300,000 dry
metric tons of copper are produced.
Business service thrives
The Philippines is a well-known
destination for IT-BPM investments with
its English-speaking and tech-savvy
workforce.
The DTI said the country can offer endless
possibilities and potential in the IT-BPM
sector with the synergies in manufacturing
and services.
It has also been a cost-competitive
destination for multinational companies to
do their back offices here for the past
two decades.
The Philippines accounts for 15 percent of
the global IT-BPM market, the second
largest in the world.
Electronics sparks
Host to around 500 global semiconductors
and electronics firms, the Philippine
electronics industry is a vital part of
the global value chain.
The industry accounts for 61 percent of
the country’s export revenues.
The DTI now eyes the country to become the
home of competitive integrated circuit
(IC) design firms.
There are also opportunities in the sector
particularly in manufacturing, chip
design, and original product design and
development works for products and
technologies in healthcare, automotive,
aerospace, vehicle batteries, and smart
wearables.
“We are confident that the launch of the
Make it Happen in the Philippines campaign
will relay a clear message across to the
rest of the world that the Philippines is
dynamic, agile, and resilient. Now, more
than ever, we are ready to roll up our
sleeves and make things happen for you,”
Lopez said. (PNA)