Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Chair, UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC)
On encouraging UK businesses to explore opportunities within ASEAN What are the implications of Covid-19 for ASEAN and the work of the UKABC? NEVILLE-ROLFE: In the short term the impact on the UK and ASEAN will be damaging, but this is a worldwide challenge. Most South-east Asian countries have large populations, stretched health services and economies that are dependent on trade and the movement…
The role of the Philippines’ digital economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic
Restrictions on the movement of people and business operations in response to the outbreak of Covid-19 are changing the way residents of the Philippines are consuming and paying for goods and services. Adherence to social-distancing measures is increasing demand for electronic payment (e-payment) for services such as food delivery and utilities, especially as physical money has been identified…
The Philippines’ big-ticket plan for growth
The 2020 budget has reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to infrastructure development as a major economic growth driver. The P4.1trn ($80.3bn) budget, which was approved in January, allocated P682.3bn ($13.4bn) to infrastructure, equivalent to 16.6% of total expenditure. The funds will be distributed through two government bodies: the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the…
OBG Global CEO survey 2020: Charting the risks and rewards faced by emerging markets
Oxford Business Group (OBG) began its CEO Survey in 2016 with the aim of giving our clients a handle on sentiment in the various markets we cover. Sentiment is of course intangible, but it is an all-important factor in the decisions business people and investors make when they weigh up their risk appetite. In turn, sentiment informs the level of confidence with which they view a market. It is also…
PhilConstruct XV
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Hotel Suppliers Show XV
After a decade, the Philippines’ biggest trade show for hospitality industry is going completely online to serve the industry. Reformatted for digital delivery, the Hotel Suppliers Show VX will deliver an exceptional opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers to network with top-level professionals and stakeholders from the hospitality industry no matter where they are. The virtual platform will…
The Philippines' history of trade and migration has created a diverse, globally minded societyOBGplus
Spanning more than 300,000 sq km, the Republic of the Philippines reaches from Taiwan in the north to Indonesia in the south. In terms of territorial size, it is the fourth-largest country in South-east Asia after Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. Bordered by the South China Sea in the west and the Sulu and Celebes seas in the south, the Philippines is home to some 175 ethnolinguistic groups across…
Philippines: Year in Review 2019
In 2019 the Philippines saw moderate but steady economic growth, even if it fell short of government targets for the year. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, GDP grew by 5.6% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the first quarter of 2019, 5.5% in the second quarter and 6.2% in the third. The third quarter result was more positive than some had anticipated, driven by higher government investment…
Robert Opp, Chief Digital Officer, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
On reaching sustainable development goals To what extent are sustainability goals tied to the success of a business? ROBERT OPP: Sustainability does not necessarily contrast with long-term profit; however, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have provided a global framework to address this significant challenge. The SDGs are different from anything I have seen in the past. There…
