Philippines President Marcos pitches investment and reforms to Singapore

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. made a two‑day working visit to Singapore, meeting Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and a roundtable of Singaporean business leaders. The delegation highlighted the Philippines’ recent upgrade to upper‑middle‑income status and a suite of reforms, including easing foreign ownership limits in retail and public services, extending land leases to 99 years and allowing 100 % foreign ownership in renewable‑energy projects, with up to 40 years of tax incentives.

Marcos promoted the $170 billion “Build Better More” infrastructure programme and sought Singapore investment in digital infrastructure, citing joint ventures with Singtel’s NCS and expansions of data‑center facilities. He also secured commitments in healthcare, aiming to add hospitals, clinics and pharmacies by 2027. The visit follows a trip to Canada that yielded about US$2.5 billion in investment pledges and underscores both countries’ drive for deeper economic cooperation ahead of Singapore’s upcoming ASEAN chairmanship.