https://www.worldcement.

com/asia-pacific-rim/20082020/globaldata-philippines-construction-industry-to-reach-us751-billion-in-2024/

GlobalData: Philippines construction industry to reach US$75.1 billion in 2024

The Philippines construction industry, which was the fastest growing in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region prior to the
COVID-19 outbreak, has been devastated by the pandemic and is expected to post a sharp contraction of 9.2% in
2020. However, the industry is expected to bounce back strongly in 2021 and grow at an annual average rate of
8.3% during 2021 – 2024. Consequently, the industry’s output value (measured at constant 2017 US dollar
exchange rates) is expected to reach US$75.1 billion in 2024, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics
company.

In the short-term, the industry is expected to be affected by the disruptions caused to the construction activities
due to the containment measures. The effect of the lockdown restrictions and the disruptions in the Philippines
construction industry is evident in the latest value-add data, which recorded a year on year contraction of 33.5% in
the second quarter, according to the data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Dhananjay Sharma, Construction Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Apart from the complete halt in the
construction activities in the second quarter, the output will also be affected this year by the re-allocation of
government resources to address the current crisis. In June 2020, the Department of Budget and Management
(DBM) reduced the infrastructure spending target for 2020 by 15.8%, from PHP989 billion to PHP833 billion due to
funding re-alignment to tackle the pandemic.”

Construction work has resumed since mid-May with the government expecting the resumption of infrastructure
projects to be a key driver in reviving the economy. Prior to the outbreak, the government had planned to invest
around PHP1 trillion (US$18.9 billon) in the Build, Build, Build (BBB) programme this year, and the implementation
of the programme will play a major role in the post-pandemic recovery of the country’s economy.

In late July 2020 the Philippines approved the proposed PHP4.5 trillion national budget for the FY2021, which is
9.9% higher than the FY2020 budget of PHP4.1 trillion. The FY2021 budget will focus on improving the country’s
healthcare system, ensuring food security, and increasing investments on public and digital infrastructure. The
budget is expected to allocate PHP1.1 trillion for public infrastructure next year, equivalent to 5.3% of the GDP.
This is expected to support the completion of a number of major flagship projects, under the BBB programme, over
the next two years.

Sharma concludes: “Spurred on by the increased allocation for infrastructure investment in FY2021 budget and the
continued attractiveness of the Philippines market, the construction industry will rebound and grow by 11.1% in
2021. Over the medium and long-term, the industry’s output will be supported by an increase of the investments
in the country’s infrastructure, housing and energy sectors.”