The Philippines, the United States, and Japan will hold the first-ever Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) Investment Forum on September 10–11 in Manila, according to the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

In a statement issued on Thursday, the USTDA said the forum is expected to bring together approximately 600 international investors, industry leaders, project developers, and government officials to showcase investment opportunities within the LEC. The event aims to connect investors with infrastructure projects that are ready for potential financing.

Participating countries include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, alongside the three principal partners.

"The LEC Investment Forum brings together the US, Japan, the Philippines and partner nations from across the world around one goal: turning priority projects into commercial reality, while advancing our collective vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific," said USTDA Deputy Director Thomas R. Hardy.

The forum will spotlight a curated pipeline of priority infrastructure projects seeking investors, commercial partners, and project development support. Sessions will also provide insight into the Philippine investment climate, economic priorities, and ongoing policy reforms, the USTDA said.

Senior officials and executives from the Philippines, the US, Japan, and partner nations are scheduled to share their perspectives on the future of the corridor. The program will also include site visits to prospective project locations in Subic Bay, Clark, and Batangas.

The LEC connects Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas, forming a strategic geography that accounts for approximately 50% of Philippine gross domestic product. The corridor was established under the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) launched by the US and Japan, with the goal of accelerating infrastructure development in the region. The LEC was first announced during the April 2024 trilateral summit among US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., marking the first economic corridor initiative under the PGI framework in the Indo-Pacific.

The PGI, unveiled at the 2022 G7 Summit, aims to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure investment across low- and middle-income countries. The Luzon corridor represents one of its flagship initiatives in Southeast Asia, a region where infrastructure financing competition has intensified in recent years.

The LEC seeks to attract investments to upgrade regional supply chains, rail freight, clean energy, logistics, and digital connectivity. The corridor is being positioned as a central hub for manufacturing, logistics, and trade in Southeast Asia.

The event will focus on opportunities in advanced manufacturing, digital connectivity, energy, transportation and logistics, and private capital and financing connections.

— Beatriz Marie D. Cruz