Can Philippine manufacturing ever recover? On chips, semiconductors, and steel

Although it is tempting to rely on services to bring the Philippine economy to First World status (OFWs, IT-BPM, tourism, etc.), the hard evidence from the history of industrialization, as we have seen in the last article, should convince us to persevere in our efforts to develop a strong manufacturing sector which should employ at least 16% to 18% of our labor force. There is some glimmer of hope that shows that this goal is within reach if we capitalize on some ongoing trends.