Introduction

Over the course of 9 months, eight Philippines Technology Policy fellows engaged in substantive research on policies related to Philippine’s semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem and strengthening U.S.-Philippines cooperation in the semiconductor sector.

The eight fellows engaged in independent primary and secondary research alongside virtual meetings with industry experts and other guest speakers. In spring 2026, toward the end of their fellowship—sponsored by the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program at the US Department of State—Pacific Forum organized a study tour to Washington D.C., San Jose, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, providing the fellows an opportunity to interact and learn from industry, government and academia, informing their research and analysis. Their fellowship concluded with policy papers offering actionable policy recommendations to enhance semiconductor technology protections and cooperation with the U.S. Find here, their eight policy papers covering various areas of US-Philippines semiconductor cooperation.

Akhil Ramesh

Chief Research and Development Officer

Pacific Forum

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

A FRAMEWORK FOR UPGRADING AND SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY

DEVELOPING A LEGAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT, AND TRADE COMPLIANCE

BEYOND BORDER CONTROL: CUSTOMS AS A STRATEGIC PARTNER OF TRUSTED SEMICONDUCTOR SUPPLY CHAIN IN THE PHILIPPINES

REGULATORY CREDIBILITY AS COMPETITIVE STRATEGY: EXPORT CONTROLS, IP PROTECTION, AND THE PHILIPPINES’ POSITION IN SECURITY-SENSITIVE SEMICONDUCTOR VALUE CHAINS

PAX SILICA FOR PAX FILIPINA? CLOSING THE GAPS IN THE PHILIPPINE SEMICONDUCTOR SECTOR

CHIP STRATEGY: PATHWAYS FOR PHILIPPINE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY COMPETITIVENESS

DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO ATTRACT SEMICONDUCTOR INVESTMENT INTO ASEAN: A LOOK AT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND STRATEGIC TRADE MANAGEMENT

GOVERNING THE INTANGIBLE: PHILIPPINE POLICY OPTIONS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR AND ELECTRONICS DESIGN, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION, AND STRATEGIC-TRADE COMPLIANCE

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

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About the Authors

RAFAELITA MERCADO ALDABA, PhD, is an economist and strategic policy advisor with research leadership at the intersection of industrial policy, global value chains, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0 technologies, digital transformation, and national skills and qualifications systems supporting education– industry integration. She is an Emeritus Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and previously served as Undersecretary at the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, where she led the design and implementation of major innovation- and technology-driven industrial policy reforms. She is the author of influential research on the Philippines’ participation in global value chains and on innovation driven industrial policy, including the design of performance-based, transparent incentive mechanisms to support industrial upgrading, technology adoption, and high-quality investment. Her research portfolio combines rigorous economic analysis, value-chain mapping, and institutional diagnostics to examine how economies move from low-value participation toward higher-value roles in global production networks. Her work informs policy debates on economic security, supply-chain resilience, and workforce transformation for advanced manufacturing and digital transformation. Through her research and advisory roles, she supports effective governance of critical and emerging technologies by aligning industrial policy, skills systems, and institutional readiness.

ANDREA CHRISTINA CAYMO-KAUHANEN is the Managing Partner of AnterBridge, a boutique advisory and market entry firm focused on the Philippines. Andrea’s fellowship builds on a distinguished career in
Philippine foreign service. She served as Director at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of International Economic Relations, where she shaped national economic and trade policy and represented the
Department on four national policy boards, including the National Innovation Council’s Executive Technical Board and the Inter-Agency Investment Promotion Coordination Committee. Earlier in her career, she served as Vice Consul and Head of the Economic, Cultural, and Visa Section at the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, where she advised more than eighty-five businesses on market entry and regulatory compliance and facilitated eleven trade missions connecting Hawaii and Philippine government agencies and private sector partners. She also held roles as a Foreign Service Officer in the Department’s Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Coordination and, prior to her diplomatic career, as an Investment Associate at Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company. The author can be contacted through email: [email protected].

RHOAN P. ESCARMOSA, LCB is a licensed customs broker with an Executive Diploma in Supply Chain Management from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. She has built a diverse career across both the
public and private sectors, specializing in customs, trade facilitation, and policy development. She previously served as a Policy Advocacy Officer at the Export Development Council and as a Single Window Consultant
at the Department of Finance. Currently, she is a Customs Operations Officer III at the Bureau of Customs, assigned to the Office of the Commissioner and the Port of Manila. In this role, she actively supports the BOC’s digital transformation initiatives, particularly on cross-border paperless trade. She is also involved in the Authorized Economic Operator Program, National Single Window-Technical Working Group, and the
Philippine Trade Facilitation Committee, managing foreign-assisted trade facilitation projects with UN ESCAP, ARISE Plus, ITC, and USAID, and representing the BOC in national and international engagements.

BERNARD ERROL M. ADVINCULA is a policy consultant in Manila working on industry-government relations across manufacturing, defense, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors. He is a non-resident fellow with the Philippines Technology Policy program at Pacific Forum, where his research covers semiconductor governance, export controls, intellectual property protection, and trusted supply chains in Southeast Asia, and an affiliate of Safe AI Philippines. He has served as policy officer at the Lead-Acid Battery Recycling Initiative, leading its regulatory engagement with Philippine environmental agencies, and as advocacy research associate at the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, covering defense,
intellectual property, and emerging technology. He holds a degree in diplomacy and international relations from Ateneo de Manila University.

FLORENCE PRINCIPE GAMBOA is the Managing Editor and Coordinator of FACTS Asia, a Philippine Technology Policy Fellow at the Pacific Forum, a Fellow at Verve Research, and a Lecturer at the Far Eastern University Department of International Studies. Her work focuses on the intersection of security and emerging technologies, with research interests spanning great power competition, Philippine foreign policy, maritime security, cybersecurity, and Philippines-China relations.

GERALD GRACIUS Y. PASCUA is an economics lecturer and researcher at the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Economics. He has over a decade of experience in economic research, project monitoring and implementation, and policy evaluation and analysis. He has undertaken consultancy work for various institutions, including the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, Asian Development Bank, Asian Productivity Organization, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, and the ASEAN Secretariat. His research interests in international trade include the empirical analysis of trade agreements, emerging issues in trade policy, particularly issues related to the digital economy, and regional economic integration in Developing Asia. He holds a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of the Philippines School of Economics.

DR. FRANCIS MARK QUIMBA is an economist and development policy expert whose career spans over two decades of impactful research and public policy contributions. A Senior Fellow at the Philippine Institute
for Development Studies (PIDS), Dr. Quimba specializes in international trade, regional integration, innovation, and industrial development policies. His work has significantly informed the policy landscape in
the Philippines and the broader ASEAN region, addressing pressing economic and developmental challenges. Dr. Quimba holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Development Economics from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan. He also earned a Master’s degree in International Development from the International University of Japan. Throughout his tenure at PIDS, Dr. Quimba has undertaken research projects that resonate globally. His recent work includes an in-depth analysis of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, examining the Philippines’ perspectives and strategies for engagement. He has
also led studies on free trade agreement utilization among Philippine micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), ASEAN-India trade relations, and the interplay between innovation, sustainability, and digital
transformation in Southeast Asia. An accomplished author, Dr. Quimba has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed journals, discussion papers, and policy briefs. His research covers diverse topics, including the
digital economy, innovation in manufacturing firms, the impact of foreign linkages on industry development, and the implications of trade policies on economic performance. Among his notable works are studies on green and digital transitions, which emphasize sustainable development as a cornerstone of future policy directions.

LEAN KARLO SANTOS TOLENTINO is Dean of the College of Engineering at the Manila Campus of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), which traces its origins to the Manila Trade School
established in 1901 through Act No. 74 of the United States Philippine Commission. He is also a Professorial Lecturer at Mapua University. He can be reached at [email protected].

Media: Fintech News Philippines