PH open, ready as Greater Bay Area's strategic partner — DTI

Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque said here on Tuesday, June 30, that the Philippines is open and ready to become the Greater Bay Area’s (GBA) strategic partner of choice in entering the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market.

- By ISABEL DE LEON

“To our partners in the Greater Bay Area, my message is simple: the Philippines is open, ready, competitive, and built for your success. Let us combine the financial and technological capabilities of Hong Kong and the GBA with the young, exceptionally skilled, and digital-native workforce of the Philippines. Together, we can build supply chains that turn green compliance and technological integration into an absolute market advantage,” Roque said.

In her keynote address at the GBA-ASEAN Summit 2026 organized by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the DTI chief invited regional leaders to look at the Philippines as ASEAN’s natural gateway to the Greater Bay Area.

“The Philippines is uniquely positioned to be your co-engineering partner of choice. Under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., I am proud to share that we are witnessing a record-breaking era for Philippine trade,” she stressed.

She said that in 2025, Philippine exports surged by 15.4 percent—hitting an all-time high.

“We carried that momentum straight into this year: January 2026 by 7.9 percent, February by 8 percent, March by 20.4 percent, and April by 6.3 percent.