Marcos at BRICS: India’s iSON Group sets expansion in PH

A WORKING DAY President Marcos spends his 69th birthday attending this year’s BRICS summit in New Delhi, as he meets with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (center) and their host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The bloc led by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa had invited the Philippines as an “outreach country.” —INDIAN PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU/AFP

An Indian conglomerate is infusing $75 million (P4.7 billion) for its current operations and future expansion in the Philippines, which are expected to generate about 2,000 jobs, Malacañang said on Sunday.

The commitment was made by the iSON Group during the visit of President Marcos to New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit, which he attended as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) this year.

The iSON Group’s plans cover its interests in agricultural technology, healthcare, business process outsourcing (BPO) and digital infrastructure, according to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Maria Cristina Roque in a statement issued by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

The investment includes a proposed $50-million agro-solar project, healthcare and 24/7 teleconsultation services, and a $10-million expansion of BPO and global delivery centers.

Roque said iSON’s planned investments aligned with the administration’s priorities, particularly food security and the expansion of digital services.

“They want to improve technology in the agriculture sector,” Roque said after the meetings between Mr. Marcos and the Indian business executives at Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi on Saturday. “Agriculture and food security are among the main priorities of the president, so any advancement in agricultural technology is important to the country.”

Working birthday

Mr. Marcos is in India for a two-day visit to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, where he is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was invited to the summit in his capacity as the 2026 Asean chair.

The closing day of the summit, Sept. 13, also happened to be the President’s 69th birthday.

The iSON Group’s digital infrastructure arm, iSON Tower Ltd. Inc., has been operating in the country since 2021 under the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s Common Tower Policy.

The company has invested around $65 million in the Philippines and deployed about 450 telco towers serving approximately 600 tenants across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

In August, iSON said it is planning to invest $250 million in agricultural and solar projects in addition to its ongoing $300-million telco tower rollout.

Other business meetings

Mr. Marcos also met with executives of Cognizant, VVDN Technologies, Hinduja Group and HCLTech, all of which have existing operations in the country.

Roque said these other companies also indicated plans to expand in digitalization, artificial intelligence, telecommunications and other technology-driven industries.

The President also met with GMR Group and representatives of Cavitex Holdings Inc. to discuss the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) project in Cavite.

GMR in August said it remains committed to the long-delayed SPIA project but is still awaiting government clearances before it can proceed with the next stage of identifying financing for the development.

The Indian infrastructure giant will come in as a partner of the Virata-Yuchengco-led SPIA Development Consortium, which in 2022 bagged the contract to build and operate the $11-billion airport.

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