Gov’t boosts $110-B semiconductor export roadmap

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto—NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ five-year roadmap to expand its semiconductor and electronics industry is moving into implementation, as the government seeks to scale up its top export sector into a more competitive player in Southeast Asia.

At the fourth meeting of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, who chairs the body, said the roadmap would require coordinated policy reforms and funding support to move forward.

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Recto emphasized the need for clearly defined timelines and sustained monitoring.

“Otherwise, it is just paper with ambition printed on it,” he said.

Semiconductors and electronics account for nearly three-fifths of the Philippines’ export revenues and employ around 3 million Filipinos, making the sector one of the country’s most critical industries.

Under the Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Roadmap, first unveiled by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 2025, the Philippines is targeting to grow chip and electronics exports to $110 billion by 2030. The goal comprises semiconductor exports ($70 billion) and electronics shipments ($40 billion).

This target is more than double the $49.64 billion receipts recorded last year.

To support this, the DTI embedded a five-year workforce plan to train and upskill 128,000 semiconductor professionals.

While the Philippines currently specializes in back-end processes, such as advanced packaging and parts of integrated circuit design, the roadmap aims to expand into higher-value activities.

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These include the long-term development of front-end manufacturing capabilities, including wafer fabrication.

The plan also calls for the establishment of up to three national laboratories, each with specialized functions, dedicated fabrication capabilities, research and development programs, as well as talent development frameworks.

“The biggest driver of that transition is not just promotion but policy reform, and this road map identifies exactly the reforms we need to make it happen,” Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Semiconductors are our number one export, and we want to keep growing that,” she added.

Despite global headwinds, semiconductor and electronics exports are expected to grow by 5 percent to more than $50 billion this year, partly supported by exemptions from US tariffs, according to Danilo Lachica, president of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc.