26 February 2020 – The Philippine-British Business Council welcomed a business delegation from the U.K. at a luncheon with Secretary Ernesto Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

The delegation was comprised of U.K. firms that specialize in Agriculture, Business Services, Construction, Education, Engineering, and Information Communications & Technology keen on exploring the Philippine business landscape for investment opportunities in light of Brexit.

The luncheon featured an economic briefing by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Pernia. The presentation highlighted key insights on the Philippine Public Investment Program (PIP) and its priorities, mainly on the country’s “Build, Build, Build” Infrastructure Program. While infrastructure remains a top priority, Secretary Pernia expressed that the government is paying closer attention to the Philippine agricultural sector which has lagged behind in recent years and has tempered our services sector.

Secretary Pernia called on businesses to “innovate and come up with instruments to help our farmers build resilience, increase productivity, and diversify income sources”. This presented opportunities for Philippine and British businesses to collaborate and offer strategic assistance to sectors that need uplifting.