PHILIPPINE e-commerce remains on track to hit $110 billion by 2030 even with trade recently disrupted by the Middle East war, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.
“We hope that once the conflict is resolved, this target will continue,” Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque told reporters on the sidelines of Manila Bay’s Kapihan Forum on Wednesday.
The Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Industry (PSEI) Roadmap sets the industry’s goal of $70 billion in semiconductor exports and $40 billion in electronics by 2030.
This will be achieved through a five-year program to train 128,000 semiconductor professionals to meet the industry’s needs.
The road map is officially made in season 4th Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council (SEIAC) meeting on March 23 at Malacañang Palace.
“Semiconductors are our number one export, and we want to continue to grow that,” Ms. Roque said in a separate statement.
“The PSEI Roadmap gives us a framework to move up the value chain, from packaging to IC (integrated circuit) design and, finally, wafer fabrication,” he said.
The roadmap describes strategic interventions to help the industry move from assembly, testing, and packaging (ATP) to advanced packaging, integrated circuit design, and advanced manufacturing.
It also proposes the creation of up to three national laboratories, each with a special location, dedicated innovation capability, research and development guidelines, and a talent development framework.
“We expect to reach $50 billion this year. But due to global challenges, I doubt we will do $110 billion in 2030,” said the President of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) Danilo C. Lachica via Viber.
By 2026, SEIPI projects semiconductor and electronics (S&E) exports to grow by 5% this year. According to SEIPI, electronics exports will increase by 16.11% to $49.64 billion by 2025.
Mr. Lachica cited the war in the Middle East and US retaliatory tariffs as challenges to export growth.
US President Donald J. Trump in February announced that he would impose a new 15% tax on imports, after the US Supreme Court ruled that he exceeded his authority to impose the same tax.
Treasury Secretary Frederick D. Go said most of the country’s exports — including semiconductors and key agricultural commodities — were up before the US Supreme Court issued its ruling.
John Paolo R. Rivera, a senior researcher at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, said the ongoing conflict could increase energy costs and the costs of the semiconductor and electronics industry.
“Global tensions, including the conflict in the Middle East, pose indirect risks through higher energy and commodity costs, weak global demand, and investment uncertainty,” he said via Viber.
“However, the industry can remain strong if it positions itself as a reliable player in diversifying the supply chain and developing its domestic capabilities,” said Mr. Rivera.
The Philippines’ ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) chairmanship for 2026 (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) could help raise the country’s profile as a growing semiconductor hub, DTI said.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that exports of electronic products grew by 17% to $46 billion by 2025, while semiconductor exports increased by 18.7% to $34.62 billion. – Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
