Why the Philippines is losing out in Southeast Asia’s investment boom

The Philippines still lags behind its neighbours in attracting foreign direct investments (FDI) after its inflows remained stagnant in 2025, even as a financing influx swept the region. This has cast the spotlight on a corruption scandal that has roiled the country and dented investor confidence to some extent, on top of long-standing systemic issues, analysts say. Manila ranked sixth in Southeast Asia after capturing just US$9 billion of the US$244 billion capital boom last year, according to...