Industrial News

MANILA, Philippines — A well-known motorcycle manufacturer has filed a notice of lockout against its 289 rank-and-file union workers citing unfair labor practices stemming from an illegal strike and boycott of company activities. In a notice dated August 4, Kawasaki Motors accused the 289 union workers of violating the “No Strike/No Lockout” clause of the collective bargaining agreement between the union and management in 2022. Kawasaki said the violation was committed after workers boycotted company-sanctioned activities, particularly its anniversary celebration last July 24, Sportsfest last June 15 and the mandatory overtime to catch up on production on April 30, 2025. [...]

Manila, Aug. 3 (CNA) The United States' decision to levy a 19 percent tax on imports from the Philippines has prompted concerns that this could discourage Taiwanese businesses from relocating their factories to the Southeast Asian country. Meanwhile, export-oriented Taiwanese firms primarily targeting the U.S. market are beginning to cut labor costs and shift their focus to the Philippine domestic market, according to Taiwanese business leaders based in the country. U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced a 19 percent tariff rate for goods from the Philippines after a meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in Washington on July 22, [...]

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has designated a parcel of land within the De La Salle University Science and Technology Complex in Biñan, Laguna as a Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology (KIST) Ecozone under Proclamation No. 985. According to a palace statement released on Saturday, the 50,000-square-meter parcel of land will be known as the De La Salle University Innovation Hub. It is located at Leandro V. Locsin Campus, Laguna Blvd., Barangay Malamig, City of Biñan, Laguna. The newly designated ecozone is subject to compliance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 7916 or the “Special Economic Zone Act of 1995” as amended by Republic [...]

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has approved ₱18.6 billion worth of new and expansion projects during its board meeting on July 17, 2025 — marking a robust start to the second half of the year and bringing total approved investments to ₱90.96 billion from January to July 2025. This seven-month total represents a 100 percent year-on-year increase from the ₱45.48 billion posted in the first half of 2024. “This 100 percent surge in investment approvals in just seven months is a resounding vote of confidence in the Philippines as a competitive, resilient, and innovation-ready investment destination,” said PEZA Director [...]

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. held a meeting with top executives of the Semiconductor Industry Association during his official visit to the United States. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said the semiconductor sector is one of Manila's biggest industries with strong economic ties to Washington. Further, the Philippines is host to more than 500 electronics and semiconductor firms, including major American companies. In November 2023, Marcos said in a meeting with the SIA that the Philippines was ready to work with the group. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the US was the country’s top export [...]

MANILA – Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s (MMC) has pledged to invest around PHP7 billion in the Philippines in the next five years, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced Friday. The investment commitment was discussed when MMC President and chief executive officer Takao Kato made a courtesy call on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Thursday, according to the PCO news release. Marcos welcomed the MMC’s plan as this will create more jobs for Filipinos. "The jobs that it will provide, that your investment will provide, are very important to us and certainly, vehicle manufacture is one of [...]

New facility for PANJIT in the Philippines to supply semiconductor components to key global manufacturers. PANJIT International Inc., a leading global manufacturer of discrete semiconductors and passive components, today officially inaugurates its state-of-the-art captive production line within the facility of Automated Technology (Phils.) Inc. (ATEC) in LISP1 Cabuyao City, Laguna, Philippines. This significant strategic investment is dedicated to the high-volume manufacturing of surface-mount device (SMD) packages, specifically the widely utilized SOT23 (Small Outline Transistor) and advanced DFN (Dual Flat No-Lead) types. These miniature, high-performance packages are essential building blocks in modern power management and control circuits found within electric vehicles [...]

MANILA, Philippines — American defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin’s offer of F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft to the Philippines comes with the prospect of having an innovation hub for aerospace workforce development to support the country’s goal of a self-reliant defense industry. Jess Koloini, director of business development at Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Fighter Group, told the Inquirer during her recent trip to Manila that part of their tailored offer to the Philippines included the possible establishment of a facility similar to its Center for Innovation and Security Solutions in Abu Dhabi to help grow the readiness of the workforce needed in [...]

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter ABOITIZ INFRACAPITAL, Inc. (AIC), the infrastructure subsidiary of the Aboitiz group, said it expects up to 25 new locators in its LIMA Estate in Batangas, from sectors such as electronics, automotive, and consumer goods manufacturing. “Right now, we have about 120 operating locators, and about 20 to 25 more in different stages of construction,” Monica L. Trajano, vice-president for Business Development of Economic Estates, told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates Industrial Summit 2025, a forum held last week. “There are still over a hundred hectares in various stages of development, with locators coming [...]

MANILA, Philippines — Trade Secretary Ma.Cristina Roque recently held talks with global semiconductor company Texas Instruments Inc. to support the expansion and development of the local industry. During her visit to the United States last week to discuss Trump’s proposed tariff measures, Roque also met with executives of Texas Instruments in Washington, D.C., to explore ways the Philippine government can support the company’s expansion plans in the country. “What we spoke about was really just the expansion of the (semiconductor industry) because (it) is the number one export of the Philippines to the US,” Roque told reporters during a chance [...]