The Philippines and Oman have concluded negotiations on an investment protection agreement that could strengthen the Gulf state’s participation in Philippine projects spanning energy, infrastructure, agribusiness and technology.
The Philippines-Oman Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) is designed to provide greater certainty and transparency for investors while protecting investments from discriminatory treatment, the Board of Investments (BOI) said.
The agreement comes as Omani capital remains limited in the Philippines despite potential areas of investment overlap. The BOI identified renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies, infrastructure and public-private partnerships, agribusiness, innovation, IT-business process management, oil and gas, specialty and processed food—including halal products—and tourism as potential areas for Omani investors.
For the Philippines, the framework could be relevant to capital-intensive projects requiring long investment horizons, particularly in energy and infrastructure, where investors typically weigh regulatory predictability alongside market opportunities.
Omani investments in the Philippines totaled just $0.14 million from 2021 to 2025. That figure was exceeded in January 2026 alone, when Omani investments reached $0.80 million, making Oman the Philippines’ fifth-largest source of foreign direct investment for the month, according to the BOI.
Still, the January figure represents a single month and does not by itself indicate a sustained shift in investment flows.
The agreement is expected to be signed within the year. Beyond investment protection, the BOI said the pact could support broader economic engagement, including discussions toward a possible preferential trade arrangement.
Such an arrangement could improve market access for goods from both countries, potentially complementing efforts to attract Omani capital by creating stronger commercial links between the Philippine and Omani markets.
