PRESIDENT MARCOS TO U.S. INVESTORS: PHILIPPINES OPEN FOR BUSINESS  

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. urged U.S. business leaders to expand investments in the Philippines, unveiling a series of landmark economic reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and transparency.

“The Philippines stands ready to engage constructively amid global trade uncertainties. Our priorities are clear: to accelerate inclusive economic growth, attract strategic investments, and contribute meaningfully to the evolving trade architecture of our region,” President Marcos said before the U.S. APEC Business Coalition.

“We are undertaking deep, institutional reforms to unlock private capital and sustain competitiveness. These reforms are designed to transform our investment landscape, improve operational efficiency, and ensure a business-friendly environment,” the President added.

President Marcos cited key measures such as the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code, and Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act, which streamline procedures, enhance incentives, and strengthen investor confidence.

The President said these initiatives are designed to create a “predictable, fair, and future-ready business environment” in the Philippines.

“We have also passed the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act. This landmark legislation introduces a globally competitive and predictable tax regime, lowering our corporate income tax rate and offering significantly extended incentives of up to 40 years for highly desirable,
strategic investments,” President Marcos added.

The President said Complementing the measure is the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act (CMEPA) streamlines the tax system for financial transactions, reducing the stock transaction tax from 0.6% to 0.1%, making equity investment more accessible and capital markets more efficient.

“We are also actively strengthening our Inter-Agency Technical Working Group on Sustainable Finance (ITSF) — our ‘Green Force’ — to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Finance Roadmap,” President Marcos noted.

The President said, “To support our goals, we have enacted significant measures to improve the ease of doing business, include the newly enacted PPP Code streamlines approvals and enhances private sector participation in infrastructure development;

Executive Order No. 18 establishes green lanes for strategic investments, ensuring centralized coordination and expedited processing.

Republic Act No. 12252 liberalizes the lease of private lands by foreign investors, extending lease terms up to 99 years.

Republic Act No. 12289 accelerates and ensures fairness in government land acquisition for infrastructure projects; and

Republic Act No. 12253 establishes a stable and transparent fiscal regime for large-scale metallic mining, providing legal certainty and a predictable tax environment.