ASEAN chairship to boost PH as investment gateway — British Chamber

Philstar.com

February 13, 2026 | 9:10pm

The British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP) remains optimistic that the Philippine chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will signal to the investors that the country remains a strategic trade partner and gateway to the region, and must reinforce this opportunity to rebound economic growth in 2026.

On January 29, the British Chamber joined the Ceremonial Handover of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Chairship 2026 where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that, “We note that the ASEAN-BAC’s priorities for this year, anchored on four pillars—people, planet, platform, and productivity—are fully supportive of these priorities.” 

The Philippines has identified its ASEAN economic agenda, placing a strong emphasis on digitalization, food security, industry growth, and economic regional integration.

Similarly, ASEAN-BAC Chairman Joey Concepcion III has previously noted the importance of the private sector in furthering its regional goals and driving investments in the region.

He noted that, “We should show, convincingly and transparently, that the Philippines is ready to receive and steward international investment with integrity and competence.”

BCCP Executive Vice Chairman Chris Nelson, in a recent interview, welcomed the prioritization of digital transformation on a regional scale and encouraged the Philippines to also accelerate the passage of digital-related legislation, particularly the Cybersecurity Act and Digital Payments Act, both were identified as priorities under the 20th Congress by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

He noted that opportunities in ASEAN must also be aligned with the developments of key reforms in the Philippines. “What we would want to see is a clear outline of what the government intends to do, a continuing outline of investments, and obviously also, on how they are going to see these key reforms going through,” he added. 

The British Chamber also expressed optimism towards the UK-Philippine bilateral trade growth, noting the UK as ASEAN’s dialogue partner.

It also cited the importance of reinforcing cooperation through the UK-Philippine Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the application of the Philippines to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

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