The Philippine Board of Investments approved PHP461.84 billion in investment commitments during the first half of 2026, up 21 per cent from PHP382.24 billion in the same period of 2025.
The agency said the approvals covered 124 projects expected to generate 14,415 direct jobs. Domestic commitments reached PHP447.32 billion, while approved foreign investment totalled PHP14.16 billion. Singapore was the largest foreign source at PHP3.15 billion, followed by China, the United States, Australia and Japan.
The figures are material to the innovation economy because approved investment is an early indicator of productive capacity, infrastructure and employment that may enter the market. The regional distribution also shows that investment is not confined to Metro Manila: the Cordillera Administrative Region and Ilocos Region accounted for the two largest totals reported by the agency.
Approval is not the same as completed construction, operating capacity or realised jobs. The numbers describe projects cleared by the BOI and expected employment, not money already spent or workers already hired. Delivery therefore depends on financing, permits, construction and each project reaching commercial operation.
The BOI linked the rise to investment reforms and its work to attract strategic and high-value projects. The announcement did not provide a complete sector breakdown for the 124 approvals, so it cannot support a claim that all of the growth came from technology or advanced manufacturing.
The useful benchmark is conversion. Future reporting should track how much of the PHP461.84 billion moves into operating projects, how many of the 14,415 expected jobs materialise, and how much activity builds durable capabilities in manufacturing, digital services, energy and other productivity-enhancing sectors.