‘US’ CHIPS Act seen to boost PH semiconductor sector’

PRESIDENT Ferdinand ‘ ’ Bongbong’’ Marcos J r. y e s t e r d a y e x p r e s s e d confidence that the United States’ support under its CHIPS Act would boost the Philippines’ semiconductor s e c t o r, i n c l u d i n g i t s professionals.

Marcos said the Philippines is expected to produce around 128,000 semiconductor engineers and technicians who would meet the demand of technology in the coming years.

“So, with the potential support from the United States under the CHIPS Act, we are poised to churn out a robust talent pool of 128,000 semiconductor engineers and technicians by the year 2028, ready to meet the expanding needs of hight echnology i ndustries,” Marcos said in his address during the courtesy call of the US government and Presidential Trade and Investment Mission ( PTIM) delegation in Malacañang.

The CHIPS Act authorizes new f unding t o boost research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the US. The said law will also ensure US leadership in the technology that forms the foundation of everything f r o m a u t o m o b i l e s t o household appliances to defense systems.

Marcos also said that the Philippines is ready to support US companies in their research and development endeavors, as well as other support operations.

“Wi t h our s t a nding proposition t o t he US semiconductor companies to invest in a laboratoryscale wafer f abrication facility in the Philippines, we can support the R& D (research and development), and advanced assembly, p a c k a g i n g , a n d t e s t r e q u i r e m e n t s o f U. S . companies that are i nto s e m i c o n d u c t o r s a n d electronics manufacturing services,” he said.

He expressed confidence t hat t his would enable Filipino professionals to create prototypes and tapeouts of integrated circuits and to engage in the development of cutting- edge, high- value products and services.

Marcos said this would t hen contribute t o t he advancement of a technologydriven economy.

The Philippine president a l s o u r g e d American firms to participate in the administration’s “Build, Better, More” program, which involves the development of 198 high-impact priority i n f ra s t r u c t u re f l a g s h i p projects (IFPs).

“This i s not t he only important infrastructure t hat we need. Through the “Build, Better, More” program, we aim to launch 198 high- impact priority i nfrastructure f l agship projects (IFPs), totaling USD 148 billion ( P8.8 trillion),” Marcos said.

Marcos further called on American businessmen to invest on developing the country’s energy sector and critical metals exploration and processing, among other areas.

The arrival of the US mission in Manila marks the fulfillment of US President Joe Biden’s commitment to Marcos during his state visit to Washington, D.C. in May 2023.

To recall, Biden had pledged to send a high-level presidential delegation to the Philippines to enhance investment and trade relations between the two countries.

T h e P r e s i d e n t i a l Communications Office said that last year, the US ranked as the Philippines’s third out of 230 trading partners, first in export market, and fifth import source.