Philippines needs to market to semiconductor industry at large

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June 22, 2025 | 12:00am

SILICON VALLEY, California – The Philippines has an established semiconductor system, but the country needs to market itself to the industry at large, the head of SEMI – a global industry association advancing the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing supply chain – said.

At a briefing here for a small group of Philippine and Japanese journalists on the US Department of State’s first “The Friends, Partners, Allies Program,” SEMI president and chief executive officer Ajit Manocha said the Philippines already has an established semiconductor ecosystem in the assembly and test companies.

The Philippines was not among the 22 participating countries in the SEMICON Southeast Asia 2025 in Singapore in May, the event showcasing a country’s strengths in semiconductors and its vibrant technology ecosystem.

“They (participating countries) market their country to the industry at large. So, I think that’s how you should really inspire people to come to the Philippines,” Manocha said.

The Pavilion at SEMICON Southeast Asia 2025 is a platform for companies to demonstrate their capabilities in advanced materials, precision engineering, automation and smart manufacturing.

SEMI advances the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing supply chain by connecting businesses, fostering innovations and advocating growth for industry growth. Through its international programs, events and policy initiatives, SEMI supports collaboration among companies, researchers and policymakers to drive ethnological advancement and economic development in the semiconductor sector.

“So, the Philippines already has ecosystem, especially a lot of assembly and test companies are there. It’s up to you to market yourself, your country, to the industry,” Manocha said.

“I’ll be happy to meet the government if they have concerns because we want to work with government as a partner,” he added.

Manocha said there is a “potential for the Philippines to move up the value chain from assembly and testing to design and publication.”

“My only message to the Philippines, in this case, is the country has to develop its own strategy,” he said.

SEMI, he said, is a country-neutral and company-neutral global industry association.

“We don’t broker or tell not to go to this because we want to treat every country equally, but when companies ask us about the ecosystem in the other countries, we tell them what we know based on our intelligence, the data that we have, this is something which you would like to hear,” he said.