Philippines and Vietnam push new digital infrastructure and semiconductor initiatives

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 119, creating a risk‑based data classification and residency framework aimed at strengthening government data security and attracting digital‑infrastructure investment to the Philippines. The country also joined the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, a proposed global AI and semiconductor supply‑chain partnership, though a coalition of scientists, environmentalists and farmers protested the plan in Manila.

In Vietnam, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung chaired a meeting to establish the 496‑hectare Hung Yen High‑Tech Park, intended to draw talent and boost logistics across the Northern Key Economic Region. Vietnam’s policy drive seeks to move the nation up the semiconductor value chain, become a key link in the global supply chain, and support AI, electronics and the broader digital economy. New digital services for foreigners, such as e‑visas and electronic ID accounts, were also highlighted, along with deeper cooperation with the SEMI Southeast Asia association.