Ayala calls for broader cooperation to close Philippines investment gaps

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Ayala calls for investment cooperation

Highlights

Zobel de Ayala urged the Philippines at the Makati Business Club to prioritize investment readiness through national workforce, infrastructure, and regulatory improvements.
He emphasized workforce development and social investments in healthcare and education to align skills with technological change and enhance economic participation.
Zobel de Ayala called for transparent, accountable execution of physical infrastructure projects, stressing cooperation across business, government, and sectors to maximize impact and opportunity.

Business push for investment readiness

As reported by BusinessWorld Online, Zobel de Ayala used a keynote speech at the Makati Business Club's 45th anniversary celebration on Thursday to argue that the Philippines should look beyond competition for individual projects and assess whether the country itself is positioned to win more durable investment flows.

He said companies should ask whether the Philippines has the workforce, infrastructure, energy supply, regulatory environment and institutional stability needed to attract long-term capital. He added that many business leaders likely already understand where the main gaps lie, but need effective platforms to work through them together across sectors.

Zobel de Ayala said cooperation does not preclude competition for customers, talent, capital and ideas. Instead, he said collaboration in broader business-environment issues can create greater value for all participants in the economy.

Workforce, social spending and infrastructure oversight

He identified workforce development as a key area for collaboration, especially as artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies reshape the skills businesses require. He said companies also share an interest in strengthening healthcare and education systems so workers can participate in an economy increasingly shaped by new technologies.

Beyond attracting capital, he said the Philippines must ensure that economic opportunities lead to higher productivity, better jobs and improved living standards. He framed healthcare, education and livelihood opportunities as part of the country's "social infrastructure," saying these investments help people take part in economic growth.

He also called for cooperation among business, other sectors and government to build an environment in which Filipinos can succeed. On physical infrastructure, he said projects must be chosen and executed properly, with full accountability for every project and peso spent.

Our earlier coverage of the Philippines’ planned peso-denominated government bond pricing changes and targeted inclusion in J.P. Morgan’s Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets noted that these steps can boost liquidity and broaden the investor base, but won’t automatically translate into real-economy investment. We emphasized that sustained gains still depend on fiscal credibility and deeper reforms—better infrastructure execution, stronger governance, a wider domestic investor base, and business conditions that support productivity and long-term capital formation.

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