A report due out in the coming months by the global research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group (OBG) will provide in-depth analysis of the new laws and regulations that are driving efforts to boost competitiveness in the Philippines.

The country’s long-awaited Competition Act will be among the topical issues analyZed in The Report: The Philippines 2018. OBG will explore the multifold role that the new legislation is earmarked to play in promoting a competitive market, providing protection and choice for consumers, and attracting investment. With the government looking to its first competition act to help provide a more level playing field across the sectors, there will be in-depth coverage of what the legislative overhaul means for both big businesses and smaller players. Industries where the ramifications are expected to be far-reaching, such as the telecoms segment, will be explored in detail.

The Report: The Philippines 2018 will also document the country’s wide-ranging plans for boosting cybersecurity, in line with the rapid development of digital technologies and the essential role they now play in the workplace and home. OBG will shine a spotlight on the National CyberSecurity Plan 2022, which was unveiled earlier in 2017. It will map out its goals, which include effective coordination with law-enforcement agencies, while also considering how they are expected to be achieved.

In addition, OBG will look in detail at what the country’s planned tax reforms mean for investors keen to explore the many opportunities emerging from the government’s major infrastructural drive, which includes increased spending on airports, ports, railways and roads.

Villaraza & Angangco (V&A) Law Firm has signed a second memorandum of understanding (MOU) with OBG for its forthcoming publication. Under the MoU, the legal firm will help to produce the Law Chapter of The Report: The Philippines 2018. The chapter will also include an interview with Augusto A. San Pedro Jr., co-managing partner of V&A Law.

Commenting after the signing, San Pedro said he looked forward to continued cooperation with OBG in communicating V&A Law’s analysis of the Philippines’s investment climate from a legal perspective.

“We know that investors are keen to explore market opportunities and openings in the Philippines,” he said. “Providing meaningful information on the country’s legal framework will help investors to make business decisions that are both timely and right for their organization.”

OBG’s editorial manager Jean Pierre Salendres said he was confident that V&A Law’s analysis of the Philippines’s legal framework and key areas of litigation would once again give the group’s report an edge.

“With a raft of major policy changes under way and others in the pipeline, there is plenty for both prospective investors and international players already on the ground in the Philippines to digest,” he said. “V&A Law’s experts are well versed in helping industry players across the sectors to navigate the country’s evolving legal landscape and move their business plans forward. I’m delighted that our readers will benefit from their knowledge of both the opportunities emerging throughout the economy here and the challenges requiring consideration.”

Charlotte Van Camp, country director at OBG, added that impressive growth rates of above 6 percent, good credit ratings and rising levels of consumption would help the Philippines in its efforts to attract new investors.

“While the country has, at times, underperformed on a regional level when it comes to boosting foreign direct investments, its ‘Build, Build, Build’ strategy is expected to pave the way for an infrastructure boom,” she said. “I’m sure that the rising number of business leaders eyeing the Philippines’s growing project pipeline will appreciate the legal analysis and data that V&A Law’s team has the capabilities to provide.”

The Report: The Philippines 2018 will be a vital guide to the many facets of the country, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments. The publication will also contain contributions from leading representatives. The report will be available in print and online.