Category: Business Mirror

PHILIPPINE business groups welcomed the conclusion of free trade negotiations with the European Union (EU), but said the agreement-more than a gateway to the bloc’s market-should help them attract investment and move deeper into global value chains.

For the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the business community must now prepare to maximize the opportunities created by the comprehensive agreement, which took years of negotiations to complete.

PCCI President Ferdinand A. Ferrer said the talks addressed complex issues involving intellectual property rights, sustainability, labor and human rights standards, and environmental and carbon-emissions requirements.

‘This FTA [Free Trade Agreement] has the potential to unlock new growth areas for Philippine enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to expand their presence in international markets,’ Ferrer said in a statement.

The conclusion of negotiations, he added, should be followed by swift ratification and implementation, saying ‘the ball is now in the hands of our policymakers.’

On the manufacturers’ side, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) likewise said the agreement should be used to upgrade domestic industry by pushing local companies to meet higher European standards on quality, safety, traceability and sustainability.

According to FPI Chairman Elizabeth H. Lee, meeting those requirements could help local manufacturers improve productivity and competitiveness while gaining deeper access to global value chains.

‘The real prize is not just market access. It is attracting the investments that create factories, transfer technology, and generate quality jobs for Filipinos,’ Lee said in a message.

‘The result is a stronger, more modern manufacturing sector capable of competing not only in Europe, but in markets around the world,’ she added.

This was echoed by the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport), saying the next priority should be ensuring that the agreement delivers meaningful and commercially competitive market access for Philippine products with export potential.

Philexport President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. said the EU is a major, high-value market where an FTA could provide exporters with greater market access and more predictable trading conditions.

‘We hope the final agreement will translate into real opportunities on the ground, especially for our MSMEs,’ Philexport said in a post. ‘We need to help Philippine businesses meet EU standards, strengthen their capacity, and connect them with European buyers and value chains.’

The group also said closer trade ties with the EU could help the Philippines diversify its export markets and deepen its participation in global value chains as businesses navigate continuing trade uncertainty.

The EU was the country’s fourth-largest trading partner in 2025, with bilateral goods trade reaching pound 17.6 billion.

Moreover, latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that imports from EU member states reached $4.08 billion in the first half of 2026, equivalent to 5.2 percent of total Philippine imports, while exports to the bloc amounted to $5.52 billion, or 11.8 percent of total export sales.

German firms eye investment

For German businesses, investment will be a key measure of whether the agreement delivers.

The German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) said nearly four in five of its member companies are exploring new markets, while seven in 10 are diversifying their supplier networks as energy shocks and a more fragmented global trading environment reshape business strategies.

In its first survey of German companies on the EU-Philippines FTA, 83 percent rated the agreement as highly important, while nearly half said they would expand their investments.

‘Today’s agreement is the milestone; delivering it is the goal, and German business stands ready to turn it into investments and jobs in the Philippines,’ GPCCI President Christian Scheld said in a statement.

Scheld said the chamber is now looking toward the formal documentation and ratification of the agreement ahead of the scheduled expiry of the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) in 2027, to avoid a gap in market access for Philippine exporters.

He also stressed the need for full and consistent implementation of commitments on services, investment and government procurement, areas covered by the new agreement that were not previously part of the Philippines’s trade arrangements with the EU.

Germany was the Philippines’s largest EU trading partner in the first half of 2026 by both import payments and export earnings.

Imports from Germany reached $1.20 billion, or 29.3 percent of Philippine imports from the EU, while exports amounted to $1.86 billion, or 33.7 percent of exports to the bloc.

PROVINCIAL and city bus operators have asked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to lift the suspension of a fare increase approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) earlier this year, warning that regulated fares no longer cover the cost of keeping buses on the road. However, the President is cool to the plea to allow it, worried by the impact on commuters already reeling from inflation.

In a letter coursed through Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto, the Nagkakaisang Samahan ng Nangangasiwa ng Panlalawigang Bus sa Pilipinas Inc. (NSNPBPI), formerly the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines (PBOAP), said rising costs have already disrupted dispatches, forced layoffs, and delayed loan payments among its members.

‘The cost of increases of diesel, parts, toll and wages can no longer be absorbed by the bus operators as the regulated revenue is lower than the cost of operations,’ NSNPBPI Executive Director Alex Yague Jr. said in the letter.

The appeal calls for ‘the immediate lifting of the directive suspending the fare adjustment order’ approved by the LTFRB in March.

Concerned over the additional financial burden a fare hike will impose on commuters, President Marcos is ‘not inclined’ to support the said proposal for now, according to Malacañang.

Instead, the chief executive wants to keep providing support to PUV drivers and operators and other vulnerable sectors reeling from the high pump prices caused by the Middle East conflict.

‘At present, there is no real inclination [from the President] to raise fares for the public, but we are not closing the door to the possibility,’ Palace Press Office Claire Castro said in Filipino in a press briefing on Tuesday.

‘We are still pressing the government to explore other measures to assist drivers and transport operators without passing the burden on to commuters; a fare hike should ideally be our last resort,’ Castro said.

Currently, she said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) continues its measures to support the PUV through fuel discounts, free tolls for buses.

Castro said in the last Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (Uplift) Committee meeting last week, Executive Secretary Recto said the government has sufficient funds to sustain providing cash subsidy to transport groups through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Another measure being considered by the government, Castro said, was the suspension or reduction of excise taxes on petroleum products.

This, after the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a certification that the price of crude oil has already breached the US$80 dollar per barrel two weeks ago, allowing the suspension or reduction of the said excise taxes under the Republic Act No. 12316.

Castro said the President is just waiting for the recommendation of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) before he decides on the matter.

‘We have received an update regarding that, and their recommendation is nearing completion; most likely, they will be able to submit it to the President by this week,’ she said.

To recall, not even a full day since it was approved Mr. Marcos ordered the suspension of the fare adjustments, citing the effects of increased fares to provide relief to commuters.

Under the suspended approved adjustments, the minimum fare for traditional jeepneys rises by P1 – from P13 to P14 – with the per-kilometer rate increasing from P1.80 to P2.

Modern jeepneys will see a steeper P2 hike, bringing the minimum fare from P15 to P17, while the succeeding-kilometer rate moves up by 10 centavos to P2.30.

For Metro Manila and city ordinary buses, the minimum fare for the first five kilometers increases by P2 – from P13 to P15 – with the per-kilometer charge rising from P2.25 to P2.49.

Air-conditioned city buses get a P3 hike to P18 for the first five kilometers, with succeeding kilometers rising from P2.65 to P2.98.

Provincial ordinary buses will see a P1 hike for the first five kilometers, with varying per-kilometer increases depending on bus type – 30 centavos for ordinary buses (P1.90 to P2.20), 35 centavos for air-conditioned deluxe and super deluxe buses (P2.10 to P2.45), and 45 centavos for luxury buses (P2.90 to P3.35).

Transport network vehicle services (TNVS) will have their base fares raised by P20 plus a P15 pick-up fee, pushing sedan base fares from P45 to P65, AUVs from P55 to P75, hatchbacks from P35 to P55, and premium TNVS from P145 to P165. Per-kilometer and per-minute charges remain unchanged.

Airport taxis see the largest proportional jump: the flag-down rate rises P40 – from P75 to P115 – though charges for succeeding distance and waiting time stay the same.

Overall, the adjustments reflect a 19 percent increase in fares across all regions.

Fuel spells 60 percent of costs

The operators said fuel now accounts for about 45 to 60 percent of their operating costs, while authorized fares have not kept up with the actual cost of service.

They also said land transport is at a disadvantage compared with other modes.

‘Airlines and sea transport operators may impose fuel surcharges in response to extraordinary fuel-price increases. Provincial and city buses cannot independently impose a similar surcharge,’ the groups said.

The operators also cited a tax problem. Passenger fares are not subject to value-added tax (VAT), but the fuel they buy is. Because fares generate no output VAT against which the VAT on fuel can be credited, operators said that tax ‘becomes part of our cost-a burden the bus operator must absorb.’

Modernization loans, wage hike

The groups said operators took out ‘substantial loans’ to modernize their fleets as the government required. They now carry the combined costs of fuel, modernization loans, spare parts, tires, maintenance, insurance, toll fees, and regulatory compliance.

They added that an impending wage increase would add further pressure.

‘We recognize that our employees deserve fair compensation. But higher wages must be supported by revenues sufficient to sustain both employment and operations,’ they said.

The operators stressed that they are not seeking government aid.

‘We are not asking the government for ayuda. We are not asking taxpayers to carry our businesses,’ the appeal read. ‘We are asking for a fair and sustainable fare that reflects the real cost of operating public transportation.’

‘Not a threat’

The groups said operators cannot raise fares on their own, impose a fuel surcharge, cut corners on safety or maintenance, or halt operations without risking the loss of their franchises.

‘This is not a threat to stop operations. This is a notice that operations may soon become impossible,’ they said.

The operators warned that if responsible operators are pushed into insolvency, commuters would face fewer buses, fewer trips, longer waits, and lost links between cities and provinces. Thousands of drivers, conductors, mechanics, and support staff would also lose their jobs.

‘We understand that fare adjustments affect commuters. But keeping fares artificially below the actual cost of service does not protect the public in the long term. It merely delays the crisis until operators can no longer deploy enough safe and roadworthy buses,’ they said.

The groups urged the government to ‘act now-before more buses can no longer leave their terminals.’

GCash’s in-app stock trading platform GStocks now serves more than 2 million users, accounting for the majority of all online retail stock market accounts with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

The platform, which operates through broker AB Capital Securities Inc., is available through GInvest, the investment hub of the finance super app. GInvest also offers other services such as GFunds and GBonds.

GStocks’ user base makes up a large share of the 3.22 million online retail accounts recorded by the PSE in 2025.

According to the PSE’s 2025 Stock Market Investor Profile report, total stock market accounts rose 27.3 percent to 3.64 million last year from 2.86 million in 2024.

Retail investors held 99.2 percent, or 3.61 million, of these accounts. Of the retail accounts, 3.22 million were held online through digital trading platforms and e-wallets. Online retail accounts grew 30.5 percent year-on-year.

GCash said its paperless registration and streamlined onboarding allow Filipinos to invest directly through the app, bringing more retail investors into the local capital markets.

‘By improving digital access to investing, an area that was once traditionally reserved for the privileged few, we are helping create pathways for more Filipinos to build a more secure financial future,’ said Winsley Bangit, group head of New Businesses at Mynt Inc., the parent company of GCash.

Alongside market research and beginner-friendly guidance within GStocks PH, GCash has launched Pera Coach, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool that gives users on-demand access to educational tips and investment information.

‘Beyond making access to investing more convenient, we’re doubling down on our financial literacy efforts to help Filipinos better understand and use the tools we provide,’ Bangit said.

EVERY global crisis follows a familiar pattern. A geopolitical conflict erupts. Inflation accelerates. A banking system shows signs of stress. A pandemic disrupts economies. Headlines grow more alarming by the hour, financial markets swing wildly, and social media becomes flooded with predictions of an impending collapse.

For investors, uncertainty often feels more painful than actual losses. The instinct is to act quickly. Sell before prices fall further. Move everything to cash. Wait until the situation ‘feels safe’ again.

History, however, tells a different story.

Market downturns have always been part of the investing journey. While every crisis has its own catalyst, investors’ emotional responses rarely change. Those who allow fear to dictate their decisions often lock in losses. Those who remain disciplined are typically better positioned to benefit when markets eventually recover.

The challenge is not predicting the next crisis. It is developing the mindset and financial structure to navigate one successfully.

Financial stability

BEFORE discussing portfolios and market opportunities, experienced investors focus on something far less exciting: financial preparedness.

An investment portfolio should never serve as an emergency fund. If a household must sell investments to cover unexpected expenses or replace lost income, market volatility becomes far more damaging than it needs to be.

This is why maintaining adequate emergency savings remains the first line of defense.

In many cases, successful investing begins long before purchasing the first stock or mutual fund. It begins with ensuring that one’s financial foundation is strong enough to withstand temporary shocks.

Resist urge to react

PERHAPS the most expensive mistake investors make during a crisis is confusing market volatility with permanent loss.

A decline in share prices does not automatically mean that the underlying businesses have lost their long-term value. In many cases, the market is reacting to uncertainty rather than to a permanent deterioration in corporate fundamentals.

Selling quality investments during periods of panic often transforms temporary paper losses into permanent ones.

Rather than asking whether prices might fall further tomorrow, disciplined investors focus on whether their original investment thesis remains intact. If the answer is yes, temporary volatility becomes easier to tolerate

PERIODS of falling markets can make regular investing feel counterintuitive.

Strategies such as peso-cost averaging allow investors to purchase more shares when prices decline and fewer when prices are high. This disciplined approach removes much of the emotion associated with deciding the ‘perfect’ time to invest, a goal that even professional fund managers rarely achieve consistently.

Successful investors recognize that market downturns are not interruptions to their investment plan. They are part of the plan.

Volatility creates opportunities

WHILE most people see only risk during a market correction, experienced investors also recognize that lower prices can create attractive long-term opportunities.

This does not mean buying indiscriminately. Opportunity without discipline can quickly become speculation. Instead, investors should evaluate opportunities within the framework of their long-term objectives, risk tolerance, and overall asset allocation. Lower prices alone are never sufficient reason to invest. The underlying investment must still make sense.

A powerful defense

NO one can predict which asset class, sector, or region will outperform during the next global crisis. That uncertainty reinforces one of investing’s oldest principles: diversification.

A well-diversified portfolio spreads risk across different asset classes, industries, and geographic markets. While diversification cannot eliminate losses during broad market declines, it reduces the likelihood that a single event will significantly impair an investor’s financial future.

For Filipino investors, diversification may also include balancing domestic investments with selected international exposure, depending on individual goals and risk tolerance. The objective is not to maximize returns in every market environment. It is to build a portfolio resilient enough to withstand a range of environments.

Greatest risk

MANY assume that investment success depends primarily on selecting the right stocks or accurately forecasting the economy. Behavioral finance suggests otherwise.

Fear, overconfidence, impatience, and herd mentality frequently cause investors to underperform their own portfolios. During periods of heightened uncertainty, emotional decisions often become the greatest source of financial loss.

Successful investors develop systems that reduce emotional decision-making. They review their financial plans rather than social media feeds. They rebalance portfolios instead of chasing headlines. Most importantly, they remain focused on goals measured in years or decades, not days or weeks.

Preparation matters

EVERY generation of investors eventually faces a crisis that appears unprecedented. Yet markets have repeatedly demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to recover from wars, recessions, financial crises, pandemics, and political uncertainty.

The lesson is not that crises should be ignored. Rather, investors should prepare for them instead of attempting to predict them. Preparation means maintaining adequate emergency savings, protecting income, investing consistently, diversifying intelligently, and keeping emotions from overriding sound financial judgment.

No one knows when the next market downturn will arrive or what event will trigger it. But investors who build resilience before uncertainty strikes are far more likely to emerge stronger when stability returns.

In investing, long-term success rarely belongs to those who forecast the future with perfect accuracy. More often, it belongs to those who remain disciplined when everyone else is losing their composure.

Fitz Villafuerte is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP Philippines. The views and opinions he expressed herein do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror. To learn more about personal financial planning, attend the 118th RFP program this October 2026. Email info@rfp.ph or visit rfp.ph to learn more about the program.

The upcoming initial public offering of Mynt Inc., the parent company of GCash, is being tracked by independent Asia-Pacific equity-capital-markets research firm Aequitas Research, placing the PSE-approved listing among significant regional equity-market transactions being watched by investors.

Aequitas Research specializes in independent research on initial public offerings and share placements across the Asia-Pacific region, providing an investor perspective separate from investment banks directly involved in an IPO.

The research firm’s monitoring is significant because the Mynt offering is expected to be one of the largest equity transactions in Philippine market history, with up to 8.03 billion shares to be offered at a maximum price of ?10 apiece.

The Philippine Stock Exchange has approved Mynt’s listing application, with the final offer price scheduled to be determined on October 1 following the book-building process, the public offer set for October 6 to 12, and the tentative listing scheduled for October 20 under the ticker symbol GCASH.

In simple terms, the significance of Aequitas’ attention to the transaction is that the GCash IPO is being viewed not only as a large Philippine corporate fundraising exercise but also as an equity-market event with relevance to investors beyond the country.

For the Philippine capital market, however, one of the most important questions is not only how much money Mynt can raise but how many Filipinos the IPO can bring into the stock market as actual shareholders.

PSE President and Chief Executive Officer Ramon Monzon has said the availability of IPO subscription through GStocks in the GCash app could result in a significant increase in new retail investors.

This is important because retail investors are reportedly ordinary individuals who buy shares using their own money, rather than large institutions such as investment funds, banks or insurance companies.

In layman’s terms, the GCash IPO could make the stock market more accessible to people who already use the GCash app for everyday financial transactions but have never owned shares in a publicly listed company.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has similarly said the size and reach of Mynt’s offering could help deepen retail participation and bring more Filipinos into the capital market as investors and shareholders, rather than remaining only users of financial services.

This potential is particularly relevant because GCash already has a large consumer base, while its GStocks service has introduced stock-market investing to users through a digital platform.

The importance of the IPO to the broader capital market, therefore, may ultimately extend beyond the performance of Mynt shares after listing.

If more first-time investors become familiar with buying and owning shares, the transaction could help expand the country’s pool of retail investors and make equity ownership a more familiar form of long-term investment.

At the same time, greater retail participation also requires stronger investor education and consumer protection, particularly because first-time investors may be unfamiliar with IPO procedures and could become targets of fraudulent offers and online scams.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center has already raised concerns about possible fake IPO websites, fraudulent social-media accounts, bogus agents, phishing messages and other schemes targeting people who may be buying stocks for the first time.

For the Philippine capital market, the Mynt IPO therefore represents two related opportunities: the ability of the local exchange to accommodate a large technology-company offering and the possibility of bringing a much wider segment of the public into formal equity investing.

The PSE has said the listing could also encourage more fintech and digital-economy companies to consider raising capital through the equities market.

The ultimate measure of the IPO’s broader market impact, however, will depend on actual investor participation, the final offer price, trading performance after listing and whether new investors remain active in the market beyond the Mynt offering.

For now, the Aequitas Research attention adds another indication that the GCash IPO is being viewed in the context of the wider Asia-Pacific equity-capital market, while Philippine regulators and the PSE are looking at its potential to broaden participation in the country’s own capital market.

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique-The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has brought its business services closer to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the remote island barangay of Semirara in Caluya with the opening of a Negosyo Center.

DTI Antique provincial director Mary Jade Gonzales said Friday that the Negosyo Center, which opened Sept. 2, provides MSMEs access to business registration assistance, information, training, financing and market linkages.

‘Semirara is the first barangay in Antique to have a Negosyo Center with a business counselor assigned,’ Gonzales said in an interview.

The center was opened at the request of Barangay Captain Catherine Lim, who provided the office space, she said.

Semirara has about 1,000 registered businesses and the center will also serve residents of other island barangays in Caluya, Gonzales said.

She said the opening of the center in Semirara came after DTI had established and fully operationalized Negosyo Centers in all of Antique’s 18 municipalities.

Antique was the first province in Western Visayas to establish Negosyo Centers in all its municipalities in 2018, Gonzales said.

Meanwhile, DTI Kapatid Mentor Me (KMME) graduates in Antique have formed a credit cooperative to provide financing to fellow entrepreneurs.

The Kami Antique Credit Cooperative opened its office in San Jose de Buenavista on Friday, becoming the first credit cooperative formed by KMME graduates in Western Visayas, Gonzales said.

‘The Kami Antique Credit Cooperative shows your KMME’s strong commitment to serve the MSMEs,’ she said.

The cooperative was registered with the Cooperative Development Authority on May 19, 2025, and now has 75 KMME graduates as members.

It plans to provide loans that MSME members can use as business capital.

Gonzales said the cooperative could help improve the livelihoods of MSMEs by providing capital that could support business expansion, job creation and income generation in local communities. PNA

NAGOYA-Jean Claude ‘The Dynamite’ Saclag yielded to a monster grappler from Tajikistan and Kayla Sanchez touched the pad less than a tad short of a podium finish as the gold medal eluded the Philippines in the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games on Tuesday.

Thus, the Philippines had to settle for Saclag’s silver medal and a historic bronze from the women’s kata team in karate on the third day of competitions that saw China breaking away from the field with 31 gold medals.

Paris Olympics bronze medalist Aira Villegas also fell by the wayside in women’s 51 kgs of boxing after losing to Sakshi Chaudhary, a two-time world youth championships champion who was not only taller with a longer reach but also heftier.

‘It felt like three men were grappling me very tightly from the back,’ said Saclag, who had to settle for silver following a 0-3 loss to Otabek Rajabov in the final of the men’s -65 kgs class of mixed martial arts that is making its debut in the Asian Games.

Saclag actually started strong after flooring Rajabov with a solid punch to the chin early in the first round, but in MMA, a strike counts less that a superior ground strength that the Tajik had aplenty.

If it were a consolation, Rajabov admitted to Saclag at the end of the bout that he got rocked by the Filipino’s punches.

‘You hit me hard,’ the Tajik whispered to the Filipino before celebrating with his country’s flag around the mat.

Moments after Saclag fell short of winning a first gold, Sanchez just couldn’t match the tremendous speed her rivals displayed at the Tokyo Aquatics Center.

Sanchez finished a mere 18-tenths of a second behind bronze winner Yujie Cheng of China in the women’s 100 meters freestyle event won by Hong Kong-China’s Siobhan Haughey (52.45) with the illustrious Chinese, Yu Yiting, settling for silver (53.21).

The Olympian Sanchez was disappointed of her performance that she skipped the mandatory Mixed Zone interview.

‘Kayla put it all on the table. She went for it. And she had a really very solid performance,’ Sanchez’s Canadian coach Derrick Schoof told POC Media Pool. ‘It was a tough, we knew it was expected to be a tough battle between the two Chinese girls and she just came out on the wrong side of the touch.’

The silver was the second for Saclag in the Asian Games after his second-place finish in wushu’s sanda at the 2014 edition in Incheon.

Rebecca Cyril Torres, Samantha Veguillas and Ysabelle Arrogante beat Thailand’s Ramitar Terananon, Monsicha Sakulrattanatara and Phatcharin Plangplai, 4-1, for a first-ever medal in team kata event in the Asian Games for a 0-1-3 gold-silver-bronze tally for the Philippines-soft tennis contributed the first bronze last Sunday.

The under-23 team beat Kuwait, 2-1, also for the country’s first men’s football victory in the Asian Games since the Tokyo 1958 edition with forward Andres Aldeguer converting the clincher that was reminiscent of his great grandfather George Aldeguer’s winning goal against Japan in 1958.

The Gilas Pilipinas Women 3×3 squad also made its presence felt on Tuesday by going 2-0 won-lost following victories over powerhouse Mongolia, 17-12, and Macau, 21-4.

Double Olmpic champion Carlos Yulo and brother Karl Eldrew, on the other hand, lead the charge in the men’s team final of gymnastics on Wednesday.

Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines-There is a moment, somewhere between the five-minute boat crossing from Davao City and the first sight of Samal’s white-sand coastline, when the noise of the city falls away completely. The water turns a shade of turquoise that belongs on a postcard. And if you are paying attention, you begin to understand why investors, hotel brands, and tourism planners are increasingly pointing their compasses here.

The Island Garden City of Samal has long served as Davao’s weekend exhale. But something has shifted. With surging visitor numbers, a bold new identity, and the kind of infrastructure momentum that developers spend years waiting for, Samal is no longer a footnote in someone else’s travel story.

A destination that earns its ranking

In 2024, Samal recorded 921,748 verified tourist arrivals-the highest on official record, nudging the island toward one million visitors for the first time in the post-pandemic era. The Department of Tourism ranks it 9th among the Philippines’ top tourist destinations, designating it the country’s largest island resort and the face of Davao del Norte in tourism. This Holy Week alone, nearly 48,000 tourists came through-a figure that speaks to the island’s pull and its unmet potential.

But numbers rarely explain why people keep coming back. For that, you have to walk-and dive-the island.

Start at the Monfort Bat Cave in Babak, a Guinness World Record holder for the world’s largest colony of Geoffroy’s Rousette bats. At dusk, millions of them exit in a living black ribbon that unfurls across the sky-one of the most arresting wildlife spectacles in the archipelago. Puting Bato offers dramatic white rock formations along rugged coastline, while Sabang Cliff draws the daring: those who want to look down at the sea from height before plunging into it. Inland, the Hagimit Falls cascade through forest and rock, offering a cooler, quieter counterpoint to the island’s coastal drama.

Beneath the surface is where Samal truly sets itself apart. Coral gardens of exceptional biodiversity, giant clam sanctuaries protecting the taklobo, celebrated dive walls like Mansud Wall, wreck sites layered with marine life, and protected areas like Angel’s Cove and the Aundanao Fish Sanctuary form an underwater portfolio that few Philippine islands outside Palawan can rival in density and accessibility. Then there is the Vanishing Island-the Sanipaan Shoal sandbar that appears and disappears with the tides, a sliver of white sand surrounded by open turquoise water. It is the kind of place that makes people stop mid-sentence.

It is precisely this natural depth that anchors Samal Island’s new tourism brand, Dive into Beauty, a deliberate repositioning targeting high-value, experience-driven visitors who compare Samal not to nearby Davao, but to Tubbataha, Coron, and Apo Island.

The island is also beginning to prove that its appeal extends beyond traditional leisure tourism. The arrival of the IRONMAN 5150 Samal puts the destination on the map for sports and events tourism, bringing athletes and their support communities to the island for a race that makes use of Samal’s defining assets, demonstrating the island’s potential to host experiences that draw visitors for a specific purpose, encouraging longer stays and generating activity across accommodations, restaurants, transport, and other tourism businesses.

That diversification matters. Destinations that can attract visitors for the beach, biodiversity, business events, and major sporting activities are better positioned to build a more resilient, year-round tourism economy. For Samal, the opportunity is to turn these individual draws into a broader destination ecosystem.

The infrastructure turning point

Every great island destination has a moment when geography stops being a limitation and starts being an asset. For Samal, that moment is approaching on two fronts.

The Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge, targeted for completion in 2028, will make the island accessible from one of Mindanao’s most economically dynamic cities in under 10 minutes by car with zero sea-travel dependency. Davao City draws 1.8 million annual visitors, hosts a growing business process outsourcing sector, and serves international routes across Asia. Post-bridge, Samal inherits that entire demand base as a year-round leisure extension of the city.

On the ground, Davao Light’s Submarine Cable Project has already strengthened the island’s energy backbone-the quiet prerequisite for the hospitality and commercial growth that sustained tourism demands.

The investment picture: Early stage, strong signals

Samal’s hospitality market tells a story of striking undersupply. The island’s existing upper-market inventory-a handful of properties with no international flag among them-serves an island that received nearly a million visitors last year. The gap between demand and supply is visible to anyone running the numbers.

The most consequential response to that gap broke ground when Damosa Land Inc. (DLI) and PHINMA Hospitality launched TRYP by Wyndham Samal, the Philippines’ first-ever TRYP condotel and the island’s first internationally flagged hotel. Inspired by the iconic Bahay Na Bato, the project is the third collaboration between PHINMA Hospitality and Damosa Land, following Microtel by Wyndham hotels in Davao and General Santos.

The project’s early momentum has also been reinforced by industry recognition. At the 14th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards 2026, TRYP by Wyndham Samal received two distinctions: Best Investment Condo Development and Best Beachfront Condotel Architectural Design. The awards underscore the project’s appeal as a hospitality development and investment proposition on the island.

Backed by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and its global network across 95+ countries, TRYP by Wyndham Samal gives the island its first global hospitality brand and wider international reach. The four-star, 100-room property, with a 250-seat ballroom and flexible meeting facilities, is positioned to capture the emerging meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions market, while 90% of its units already sold underscores strong investor confidence in Samal’s tourism and property potential.

That hospitality confidence does not exist in isolation. Damosa Land’s Bridgeport, a 13-hectare master-planned waterfront community, has been laying the groundwork for Samal’s commercial and residential growth since its launch in 2022, with 90% of its total number of units sold to date. Now 70% complete, the development is also the venue for the IRONMAN 5150 Samal for the second consecutive year. With low-density condominiums, premium lots, a commercial area, and an exclusive marina, Bridgeport signals that Samal can sustain not just tourists, but residents, businesses, and long-term community life.

The growing ecosystem is complemented by established hospitality destinations such as Pearl Farm Beach Resort and Discovery Samal, reinforcing the island’s position as a destination with a strong tourism foundation. Together, these developments point toward a destination crossing a threshold-from weekend escape to full-spectrum growth corridor. For a destination with this much natural endowment, this much infrastructure momentum, and this little branded supply, the window of early-mover advantage is still open. It will not stay open for long.

‘Samal has reached a point where its potential is becoming increasingly tangible. We are seeing stronger tourism activity, growing investor interest, and the arrival of developments that can elevate the island’s profile. For us, this is an opportunity to help build a stronger and more connected Samal community,’ said DLI President Ricardo Floirendo Lagdameo.

PHILIPPINE business groups welcomed the conclusion of free trade negotiations with the European Union (EU), but said the agreement-more than a gateway to the bloc’s market-should help them attract investment and move deeper into global value chains.

For the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the business community must now prepare to maximize the opportunities created by the comprehensive agreement, which took years of negotiations to complete.

PCCI President Ferdinand A. Ferrer said the talks addressed complex issues involving intellectual property rights, sustainability, labor and human rights standards, and environmental and carbon-emissions requirements.

‘This FTA [Free Trade Agreement] has the potential to unlock new growth areas for Philippine enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to expand their presence in international markets,’ Ferrer said in a statement.

The conclusion of negotiations, he added, should be followed by swift ratification and implementation, saying ‘the ball is now in the hands of our policymakers.’

On the manufacturers’ side, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) likewise said the agreement should be used to upgrade domestic industry by pushing local companies to meet higher European standards on quality, safety, traceability and sustainability.

According to FPI Chairman Elizabeth H. Lee, meeting those requirements could help local manufacturers improve productivity and competitiveness while gaining deeper access to global value chains.

‘The real prize is not just market access. It is attracting the investments that create factories, transfer technology, and generate quality jobs for Filipinos,’ Lee said in a message.

‘The result is a stronger, more modern manufacturing sector capable of competing not only in Europe, but in markets around the world,’ she added.

This was echoed by the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport), saying the next priority should be ensuring that the agreement delivers meaningful and commercially competitive market access for Philippine products with export potential.

Philexport President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr. said the EU is a major, high-value market where an FTA could provide exporters with greater market access and more predictable trading conditions.

‘We hope the final agreement will translate into real opportunities on the ground, especially for our MSMEs,’ Philexport said in a post. ‘We need to help Philippine businesses meet EU standards, strengthen their capacity, and connect them with European buyers and value chains.’

The group also said closer trade ties with the EU could help the Philippines diversify its export markets and deepen its participation in global value chains as businesses navigate continuing trade uncertainty.

The EU was the country’s fourth-largest trading partner in 2025, with bilateral goods trade reaching pound 17.6 billion.

Moreover, latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that imports from EU member states reached $4.08 billion in the first half of 2026, equivalent to 5.2 percent of total Philippine imports, while exports to the bloc amounted to $5.52 billion, or 11.8 percent of total export sales.

German firms eye investment

For German businesses, investment will be a key measure of whether the agreement delivers.

The German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) said nearly four in five of its member companies are exploring new markets, while seven in 10 are diversifying their supplier networks as energy shocks and a more fragmented global trading environment reshape business strategies.

In its first survey of German companies on the EU-Philippines FTA, 83 percent rated the agreement as highly important, while nearly half said they would expand their investments.

‘Today’s agreement is the milestone; delivering it is the goal, and German business stands ready to turn it into investments and jobs in the Philippines,’ GPCCI President Christian Scheld said in a statement.

Scheld said the chamber is now looking toward the formal documentation and ratification of the agreement ahead of the scheduled expiry of the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) in 2027, to avoid a gap in market access for Philippine exporters.

He also stressed the need for full and consistent implementation of commitments on services, investment and government procurement, areas covered by the new agreement that were not previously part of the Philippines’s trade arrangements with the EU.

Germany was the Philippines’s largest EU trading partner in the first half of 2026 by both import payments and export earnings.

Imports from Germany reached $1.20 billion, or 29.3 percent of Philippine imports from the EU, while exports amounted to $1.86 billion, or 33.7 percent of exports to the bloc.

AFTER nearly a decade of on-and-off negotiations, the Philippines and the European Union (EU) have reached a substantial agreement on a free trade pact that is set to become the country’s biggest and most comprehensive trade deal.

According to the European Commission on Tuesday, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefcovic and Philippine Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque confirmed the agreement following a video call, with both sides instructing their negotiating teams to finalize the text as soon as possible.

For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke on Monday with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., saying the two sides had agreed on an EU-Philippines free trade deal.

The agreement will still have to go through the formal steps toward conclusion, signature and ratification before it can take effect.

Once implemented, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would give Philippine exporters permanent preferential access to the EU market, which has nearly 450 million consumers.

It would also replace the Philippines’ current preferential access under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which provides tariff preferences on two-thirds of EU tariff lines.

The deal follows nearly a decade of negotiations. The talks were launched in December 2015 before being put on hold after the second round in 2017. The two sides resumed negotiations in March 2024, followed by six negotiating rounds through May 2026.

The European Commission said the agreement is expected to create new opportunities for businesses, including micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as farmers, manufacturers and consumers on both sides.

It also said the FTA is intended to strengthen and diversify supply chains and provide more predictable rules for businesses, at a time when supply-chain resilience has become a priority.

‘The agreement also sends a clear signal of reinforced engagement between the EU and the Philippines, anchored in their common interest in an open, inclusive, and rules-based international order in the current volatile context,’ the commission said.

The EU was the Philippines’ fourth-largest trading partner in 2025, with bilateral trade in goods reaching pound 17.6 billion, while two-way trade in services amounted to pound 10.3 billion in 2024, according to EU data. The bloc accounted for 8.3 percent of the Philippines’ total goods trade last year.

Broader Asean

THE agreement also comes as European businesses look at the Philippines’ role within wider Southeast Asian supply chains.

The EU-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Council said the country now has an opportunity to strengthen its position as a destination for European investment and as part of regional value chains.

In its latest business sentiment survey, 43 percent of European business leaders said they plan to expand in the Philippines over the next five years, according to the council.

EU-ASEAN Business Council Executive Director Chris Humphrey said the challenge now is to translate the agreement into a more competitive operating environment that allows companies to invest, produce and integrate the Philippines into regional supply chains.

He also urged the EU to move forward with its FTA negotiations with Thailand and Malaysia, while noting that European businesses continue to push for a broader EU-ASEAN trade agreement.

‘Bilateral agreements should not be the end point,’ Humphrey said, adding that European businesses have consistently called for a region-to-region FTA.

With the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-EU relations approaching in 2027, he said concluding more bilateral agreements would reinforce the EU’s economic engagement with Southeast Asia while potentially laying the groundwork for a broader regional trade framework.