| Despite longstanding aspirations to deepen domestic industry, the Philippines’ industrial policy has historically lacked enforceable mandates, strong implementation capacity, and institutional alignment. Drawing on comparative experiences in Southeast Asia and recent frameworks emerging from the Tatak Pinoy Act (Republic Act No. 11981), this policy brief analyzes how effective industrial policies are structured and sustained. Regional examples such as Malaysia’s binding targets and centralized oversight, Vietnam’s procurement-led coordination, Thailand’s spatial-industrial diagnostics, and Indonesia’s more coercive content rules, offer concrete institutional designs. The policy brief highlights that while the passage of R.A. No. 11981 signals renewed commitment, implementation will depend on how the Philippines addresses persistent fragmentation, limited monitoring tools, and weak inter-agency coordination. Insights from the World Bank and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) underscore the urgency of building institutional capacity and policy coherence, particularly amid global disruptions and tightening fiscal space. |