The Board of Investments (BOI) is putting key government requirements for investors into a single digital platform, aiming to make it easier to navigate permits, regulations, and procedures and reduce uncertainty in setting up projects in the Philippines.
The Digital Investor’s Guidebook brings together regulatory requirements, permits, responsible agencies, and government procedures in an interactive online platform that can be updated as rules change.
The initial rollout covers renewable energy and digital infrastructure, with critical minerals and agriculture among the sectors being considered for expansion.
The initiative addresses a common challenge for investors. Information and requirements are often spread across different government agencies, making it harder for companies to determine what permits they need, which offices they must deal with, and what steps are required to move a project forward.
Finance Secretary Frederick Go said improving the ease and cost of doing business, along with greater regulatory predictability, is important to attracting investments.
“With this digital guidebook, we reinforce confidence, minimize unnecessary back-and-forth, and give investors a clearer path toward doing business in the Philippines,” Go said.
The guidebook was developed with support from the Asian Development Bank and PwC Philippines. It also advances Executive Order No. 18, which established Green Lanes for Strategic Investments and directed the BOI to regularly develop and update guidebooks for priority sectors.
BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo said the project is intended to make government processes easier to understand and navigate, rather than simply put existing documents online.
“It is about making government easier to understand [and] navigate,” Rodolfo said.
He said the measure should ultimately be judged by whether investments move forward, projects are built, and businesses create opportunities for Filipinos.
The BOI’s One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments will oversee the platform and its expansion into additional priority industries.
By consolidating information in one place, the BOI hopes to reduce the regulatory uncertainty that can add time and cost to investment decisions.
