Executive Secretary Ralph Recto on Thursday called on American companies to deepen their investments in the Philippines, emphasizing that future partnerships should focus on creating quality jobs, developing local talent and fostering long-term economic growth.
Speaking at a welcome reception for the 2026 Philippines Business Mission organized by the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), Recto urged participating American executives to “stay,” “expand” and “build” their presence in the country.
“That is the partnership we want, not just one business mission, but generations of investment, innovation, jobs, and shared prosperity between the Philippines and the United States,” Recto said.
Recto highlighted opportunities within the Luzon Economic Corridor, a strategic hub linking Subic, Clark, Manila, and Batangas, which is projected to generate up to one million jobs across manufacturing, logistics and technology sectors.
He specifically urged U.S. firms to expand operations in electronics and semiconductors, citing high-value areas such as integrated circuit design, research and development, supply-chain resilience and critical minerals processing.
“We do not want American companies to simply buy from the Philippines. We want you to bring your technology here. Bring your capital and research here. Train Filipino talent here. And build your next breakthrough here,” Recto said.
“We want more factories rising here, critical minerals processed, not just extracted and exported. More electronics proudly made in the Philippines. And more Filipino engineers, technicians, and researchers given the chance to thrive,” he added.
Recto pointed to key economic legislation aimed at improving the business climate, including the CREATE MORE Act, Green Lanes for strategic investments, and reforms opening sectors like renewable energy and telecommunications to full foreign ownership.
Addressing investor concerns over bureaucratic delays, Recto assured executives that the Marcos administration is committed to resolving regulatory and infrastructure bottlenecks.
“When government becomes the obstacle to growth, government must change, not the ambition, not the investments and certainly not the opportunity,” Recto said.