MANILA, Philippines - Mall and banking conglomerate SM
Investments Corp. (SMIC) is encouraging foreign investors to put their money in
the Philippines, saying now is the perfect time to invest in the country.
“We have been under-looked at and under-valued in the last
five years, yet we have been growing at five percent GDP. With our current
President, we have had a remarkable improvement in governance,” SMIC vice chair
Teresita Sy-Coson told the 14th Global CEO Conference in Singapore.
Coson said the Philippines has a young population, between
the ages of 21 to 35, with a huge earning capacity and a large overseas
Filipino working base that consistently remit earnings to their families and in
turn help the country’s economy.
“The Philippines is unique and it needs to be looked at with
a long term view, longer than a two- to three-year window,” Coson said.
“As a domestic investor, I am very optimistic. There is a
lot of liquidity for our size in the Philippines. If you look back at the
country’s economic history, we have had steady growth,” she added.
SMIC is the holding firm for the businesses of tycoon Henry
Sy. The SM Group’s businesses include real estate, retail and banking. The Sy
family is also expanding in other areas such as energy and infrastructure.
Other Filipinos who were invited to join and carry the
Philippine flag in the annual Forbes Global CEO Conference were port and gaming
mogul Enrique Razon of the International Container Terminal Services Inc.
(ICTSI), former senator Manuel Villar Jr., chairman of the Villar Group;
Filinvest Development Corp. president and CEO Josephine Gotianun-Yap, and the
Antonio Family of Century Properties.
It is the 14th year of the Global CEO Conference, an event
where movers and shakers from more than 31 countries meet, discuss, brainstorm
and network.
Source: www.philstar.com
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