Inter-governmental agencies are “rushing discussions” on the potential investment of over US$1 billion (more than P50 billion) by electronics giant Samsung in the Philippines, according to Secretary Frederick Go, Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs.
Emerging from the “Let’s CREATE MORE Manufacturing in the Philippines” forum on Friday, March 28, 2025, Go stated that the planned Samsung project, which is part of the identified projects with costs exceeding P50 billion, is “under process.”
“Right now, what’s under process is Samsung’s project, which is over a billion dollars. It’s in process,” Go said.
When pressed for a timetable for the discussions, Go replied, “I believe they’re rushing the inter-agency discussions,” expressing hope that the discussions can conclude in the first half of this year. Delaying action on potential major investments might risk the project proponent turning to other promising alternative locations.
Go explained that the project is “under process” concerning the incentives that an investment of more than P50 billion could potentially avail itself of from the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act, which clearly defines incentives for investments under P50 billion.
However, if the project exceeds P50 billion, there is room for flexibility in the law regarding the granting of tailored incentives for such a significant investment. “So, that has to be processed, because it’s not an exact definition of incentives,” Go stated.
With such flexibility, a major investor could request specific incentives suited to their project, or the government may offer an incentive package tailored to a particular operation. “They have asks,” said Go. However, he did not elaborate on what Samsung may be requesting. “Let’s wait; they have asks, so we have to process those asks,” he reiterated.
The Marcos administration hopes that the CREATE MORE Act will position the Philippines as a “destination of choice” for investments.
