Infrastructure shortfalls hurt PHL competitiveness

DELAYS in the implementation of infrastructure projects are dragging down the Philippines’ competitiveness in Southeast Asia, experts said.

- By Justine Irish D. Tabile Reporter

Jamil Paolo S. Francisco, executive director of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness, said that the country continues to lag behind its regional peers due to inefficient infrastructure.

“The good thing is we are seeing a lot of new developments and new projects. The challenge is that a lot of these new developments or projects either have been delayed in their implementation or in their completion,” he told Business World on the sidelines of an AIM forum on Tuesday.

“We have already started (projects), we are spending good resources on it, but until they are finally completed, it is not reflected in the data, nor is it reflected in the perceptions of people,” he added.

The Philippines inched up a spot to 51st in the recently released 2025 World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Despite the improvement, the country still remained a laggard in the region, ranking 13th out of 14 Asia-Pacific economies in the index and last among the five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members covered in the report.

"(The Philippines') absolute position remains comparatively low.

It trails far behind regional leaders such as Singapore (second) and Malaysia (23rd), as well as closer competitors like Thailand (30th) and Indonesia (40th)," said José Caballero, senior economist at the IMD World Competitiveness Center.