Tycoon cites need to further increase PH power capacity to entice more data centers

Detailed summary

MANILA – Power supply remains among the major factors that will help encourage more data center investors to place their business in the Philippines, busines...

INVESTMENTS. Business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan (fourth from left) on Thursday (Nov. 12, 2026) cited the need to ensure power supply in the country to encourage more data center business into the domestic economy. He said the Philippines now has an advantage on this given the pushback in the U.S. data center sector. (PNA photo by Joann Santiago-Villanueva)

MANILA – Power supply remains among the major factors that will help encourage more data center investors to place their business in the Philippines, business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan said Thursday.

In a briefing on the third quarter 2026 performance of PLDT Inc., Pangilinan cited the need to fix several issues that hamper the entry of more investments.

“You have to encourage people to, really encourage them and give them the relevant incentives. You have to fix the power issue, the water issue, the political issues… You have to open your doors wide,” he said.

Pangilinan said this is where PLDT Group’s data center arm, Vitro Inc., benefits from having a distribution utility (DU) tie-up through Manila Electric Company, another Pangilinan-led business.

“So from a consistent, constant supply point of view, we can give them that assurance. We'll declare this data center like Vitro to be a safe zone so you can assure the cost and power,” he said.

The government is firm on ensuring the country’s energy security by increasing the supply of renewable energy (RE) such as solar, hydro and wind, among others.

It aims to increase the share of RE to 35 percent of the total power mix by 2030, 50 percent by 2040, and over 50 percent in the succeeding years, to help address the high cost due to oil-based sources.

Meanwhile, Victor Genuino, president and chief executive officer of VITRO Inc. during the same briefing, said the pushback on data centers in the U.S. is benefiting the Philippines.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Philippine News Agency. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.