PH rallies ASEAN to build a technology supply chain ecosystem

Philippine Executive Secretary Ralph Recto rallied member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to capitalize on their combined strengths to boost the region’s semiconductor and electronics industry and take advantage of the current global race in technological advances to further improve the lives of its people.

“This race is more than technology. It is about jobs, investments, innovation, economic security, and even national security. And I firmly believe that ASEAN can win a much bigger share of that future, only if we build it together,” Recto said in a speech during the ASEAN Semiconductor and Electronics Forum 2026 hosted by the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) on October 26.

Recto, who chairs the Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council, noted that “chips are the new infrastructure.”

“Roads and ports once decided which economy grows. Today, it is semiconductors and electronics. They sit inside our phones, our hospitals, our cars, and our data centers. They will determine how far and how fast economies grow,” he said.

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