At The Asset 13th Philippine Forum in Manila, 3 October 2018, industry experts suggested the country's economic performance in the coming years will be boosted by its ambitious infrastructure programme, which requires sufficient capital support from financial institutions.

"Liquidity is not an issue. Banks are prepared to expand projects," says Eduardo Francisco, president at BDO Capital. He, however, cited a shortage of viable projects to fund for now.

Rising public expenditure could unlock the country's full potential, improve its attractiveness to foreign investors, stimulate job creation and, ultimately, achieve growth that is both inclusive and broadly based.

"We see a lot of public investment in basic material centres," says Ignacio Mijares, CEO and president at Cemex Holdings Philippines.

For Philippine small and medium enterprises, one major concern is the rising financing cost that could impact expansion.

"Definitely the cost of financing has gone up in the Philippines" says Lynette Ortiz, CEO at Standard Chartered Bank Philippines. "We have middle-tier companies looking to expand and they are understanding that leverage is getting more expensive," says Ryan Tapia, president at China Bank Capital.

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