Pinoy Pie

TAGUIG CITY (MindaNews / 20 May 2026) — The good news is easy to headline: foreign investment pledges in the Philippines rose by 52.3 percent in the first quarter of 2026. The harder question is what that number really means. Because in economics, as in politics and life, a promise is not yet performance. A pledge is not yet a factory. An approval is not yet a payroll. A press release is not yet a livelihood. Approved foreign investments reached ₱42.64 billion in the first quarter, a welcome rebound from last year. But beneath the impressive percentage is a more complicated story. Total approved investments, including Filipino investors, actually fell. Job projections also declined. And most of the foreign commitments were concentrated in Central Luzon. So yes, the number improved. But confidence has not yet fully returned. This is the uncomfortable middle space where the Philippines now stands. We are still attractive, but not yet compelling enough. We are...