PHL ranks first in investor relations poll
By Reine Juvierre Alberto @reine_alberto
THE Philippines has the strongest sovereign investor relations practices, which can be an important “pull” factor for capital flows, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF).
The IIF revealed in its “2024 IIF Investor Relations and Debt Transparency Report” that the Philippines, with a score of 48.8 out of 50, ranked first among 50 countries in its Investor Relations Survey.
Amidst political uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, high debt and deficits and funding needed
to mitigate and adapt to climate change, the IIF emphasized strong investor relations practices could boost a sovereign borrower’s capital flow.
These practices could help countries engage with both private and public creditors and rating agencies to mobilize international capital to achieve global climate and broader sustainable development goals.
“Sound investor relations practices can also help sovereigns access financial markets in times of distress and help investors in making better capital allocation decisions based on regular, open dialogue with country authorities,” the IIF said in its report.
The Philippines, along with In -
donesia, also attained the highest debt transparency scores at 12.5, followed by Türkiye (12.3), Uruguay (12.0) and Brazil (11.8).
“It is crucial that sovereign debtors enhance their capacity to disclose relevant information that helps the understanding of climate risks and opportunities for both domestic and international investors,” the IIF noted.
The Philippines met 83 percent of all investor relations assessment criteria of the IIF, providing a considerable amount of evidence and information not traditionally included in the survey.
By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
HIGH non-performing loans (NPLs) from credit card and salary-based borrowings drove the banking industry’s bad debts to its highest level in seven quarters, according to the latest data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
BSP data showed NPLs of the banking industry amounted to P156.121 billion in the period ending March 2024, the highest since the P167.375 billion posted in June 2022.
Credit card NPLs reached P30.785 billion in March 2024, the highest in 10 quarters or since September 2021 while salary-based NPLs reached P19.07 billion in March 2024, the highest in the series which began in 2014.
“We believe that NPLs have already peaked in the Philippines; we’re actually forecasting for the major banks for the impair loan ratios to fall
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
EMPHASIZING the potential benefits of foreign investment in the Philippines, the leadership of the House of Representatives has expressed its support for extending land leases to foreigners for up to 99 years.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin
Romualdez and House Committee on Ways and Means
Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda believe that allowing longer-
term leases would make the Philippines more attractive to foreign investors.
“There should be no limits to the right to lease property,” Salceda stated.
“It’s a cancellable contract that can be subject to rules and safeguards anyway,” he added. By offering more extended lease terms, Salceda foreign investors can develop longterm plans, which could boost investment inflows.
DBy Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
ESPITE lingering concerns on the qualification of members of the Joint Venture led of the Joint Venture (JV) led by Miru Systems Co. Ltd, the Commission on Elections is confident the change in its poll machine provider will translate to a reliable 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE) outcome. This after the poll body reported Miru JV has already reached the first of the 13 milestones of its P18billion Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) contract.
During the first part of the Iboto ang Tama, Itama ang Boto: the DWIZ Election Coverage 2025 campaign held on Wednesday, Comelec Chairman George M. Garcia stressed the necessary safeguards are in place to hold their service providers, including the Miru JV, accountable for polls next year.
He fielded questions from a panel of media representatives from DWIZ, Aliw 23, BusinessMirror and Pilipino Mirror.
He said they used a milestonebased scheme for the service providers, with the release of their payments set in tranches, depending on
The IIF also recommended that policy and macroeconomic information be distributed to the investor list through email at least every two weeks and that investor conference calls should be archived on government websites.
The Philippines recorded P15.35 trillion in outstanding debt as of end-May 2024, higher by 8.4 percent than
This enabled the country to secure a spot at the top 5 countries with the highest IR scores in 2023 and 2024. However, the IIF still suggested key areas for improvement for the Philippines, such as subscribing to the Special Data Dissemination Standard Plus (SDDS Plus) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia fields questions from a panel of mediamen from DWIZ, BUSINESSMIRROR, Aliw 23 and Pilipino Mirror on Wednesday in the first part of the Iboto ang Tama, Itama ang Boto: the DWIZ Election Coverage 2025 campaign. He led a demonstration of the newly approved Automated Counting Machines (ACM) at the Aliw Broadcasting Corporation facilities in Pasig City. BERNARD TESTA
HANGING ONTO OLYMPIC DREAMS Gilas Pilipinas, ranked 37th globally, stunned the world by defeating 6th-ranked Latvia in a crucial Olympic qualifier match. Led by Justin Brownlee’s 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, complemented by Kai Sotto’s 18 points, the Philippine team secured an 89-80 victory. Despite Latvia’s late-game surge, the Philippines maintained composure to secure the win. This victory not only boosts their chances to advance to the knockout stage but also marks a significant upset in the Olympic qualification series. The Philippines plays Georgia Thursday night. Latvia beat Georgia 83-55 on Tuesday. smartgilasbasketball.com