The Philippines has the dubious distinction of being called “a damaged culture” or “the sick man of Asia,” but the country is also considered to to be one of the so-called Tiger Cub Economies of Southeast Asia and one of the Next Eleven (N-11) countries. Unfortunately, American investors have few options for investing in the Philippines as the iShares MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index Fund (EPHE) and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PHI) or PLDT are the only Philippine ETFs or ADRs trading on major US stock changes as other well-known Philippine companies like Ayala Corp (AYALY.PK), Globe Telecom (GTMEF.PK), Jollibee Foods Corp (JBFCF.PK), San Miguel Corp (SMGBY.PK) and SM Investments Corp (SVTMY.PK) are only thinly traded on the OTC.
Nevertheless, the election of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, the son of former President Cory Aquino who replaced dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has fueled optimism that the Philippines has finally turned a corner. But before you consider investing in the Philippines through Philippine ETFs or stocks like the iShares MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index Fund or the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, investors might want to consider reading a controversial essay written by James Fallows for the Atlantic Monthly entitled: “A Damaged Culture: A New Philippines?”