Performance, Competitiveness and Structure of Philippine Manufacturing Industries: A Research Design

From being second to Japan in the early 1950s, the Philippine manufacturing sector has now been rated as one of the least successful economic performers in the region. Like the other past attempts, this paper reviews the performance, competitiveness and structure of the country’s manufacturing industries. It seeks to isolate the price and non-price factors such as market structure and technology. While the paper evaluates the major macroeconomic policy reforms through the examination of the responses of various sectors in the country, it also explains intersectoral differences in speed and quality response. These are hoped to aid the formulating of appropriate policies and reforming the existing measures to enhance the sector’s performance and competitiveness.