Tech spending in Philippines seen to grow 9.4% this year
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MANILA, Philippines — Technology spending in the Philippines is estimated to increase by 9.4 percent this year as the country allocates more budget for cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI), according to market research firm Forrester.
The Philippines is projected to have the fastest growth in tech spending in Southeast Asia for 2025, after Vietnam with 10 percent. Indonesia follows with 8.5 percent, Thailand with 7.7 percent and Malaysia with 7.2 percent.
In total, the region is estimated to spend $69 billion this year.
“The strong growth is due to Southeast Asian governments actively promoting digitization and a growing focus on cybersecurity, with AI playing a key role in enhancing threat detection and online safety,” Forrester notes.
According to the 2025 Cisco Cybersecurity Readiness Index report, 75 percent of surveyed Filipino enterprises anticipate a cyber incident in the next 12 to 24 months that could disrupt operations.
READ: 85% of Philippine companies grapple with cyber threats –Cisco
Hackers usually attempt to penetrate the firewall of organizations in order to steal sensitive data, which they can hold for ransom.
READ: Big Tech’s AI spending reached a record-breaking $240 billion
93% using AI
The Cisco report says that 93 percent of the respondents are using AI to have a better response to cyberattacks.
Nearly all the Filipino respondents are looking at upgrading their information technology infrastructure this year, the Cisco study adds.
In Asia-Pacific, Forrester initially projects that tech spending will rise by 6.5 percent to $722 billion this year. However, the research firm is slashing off 1 or 2 percentage points from the previous forecast because of uncertainties brought about by the global tariff war.
“[The] immediate economic headwinds and heightened uncertainty stemming from the new tariffs are likely to influence the pace, prioritization and funding of technology initiatives in the coming months,” Forrester vice president and senior research director Frederic Giron says.
“Business and tech leaders must engage in comprehensive scenario planning to anticipate various outcomes and develop adaptive strategies that ensure organizational resilience,” he adds.
