Who Is Frederick Go, President Marcos' New Special Assistant for Investment and Economic Affairs?
.png)
On Monday (December 18), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos announced the appointment of Frederick Go as secretary of the new Office of the Special Assistant for Investment and Economic Affairs (OSAPIEA). The office was created by virtue of executive order 49, which was signed on Friday (December 15), “to ensure the effective integration, coordination, and implementation of the various investment and economic policies and programs of the government.”
ALSO READ
EXCLUSIVE: Why RLC REIT Is Country's Biggest, According to Robinsons Land President Frederick Go
What is the OSAPIEA?
According to the executive order, the new office will assist the President with advice on matters involving economic concerns based on the most recent economic data, market trends and economic developments as well as help identify priority programs, activities, and projects in coordination with the economic development group (EDG), among other related tasks and functions.
The secretary of the OSAPIEA will also serve as chairperson of the EDG, above the secretaries of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Finance, who will both serve as vice chairpersons. President Marcos is bestowing the secretary of the OSAPIEA the power to supervise and monitor, on behalf of the President, the main economic agencies of the government, including NEDA, DOF, the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of trade and Industry, as well as their respective attached agencies, such as the Board of Investments, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, among others.
In addition, the secretary of the OSAPIEA will also join the boards of the NEDA Executive Committee, the Investment Coordination Committee, the Social Development Committee, Committee on Infrastructure, and the Development Budget Coordination Committee.
Go, President Marcos’s choice to head this new office, is perhaps best known in the business community as the president and CEO of Robinsons Land.
Who is Frederick Go?
Before being named to the new post, Go was already the Presidential Adviser on Investment and Economic Affairs, a position he has held since January 2023.
A cousin of current JG Summit president and CEO and Gokongwei Group leader Lance Gokongwei, Go has served many positions within the Gokongwei Group of companies, including chairman of RL Commercial REIT, Inc., Altus Property Ventures, Inc. and Vice Chairman of Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corporation. He is also a Trustee and the President of Robinsons Land Foundation, Inc. and Universal Cultural Foundation, Inc.
According to his profile in the RLC website, he also holds various other positions, including Group General Manager of Shanghai Ding Feng Real Estate Development Company Limited, Xiamen Pacific Estate Investment Company Limited, Chengdu Ding Feng Real Estate Development Company Limited, Taicang Ding Feng Real Estate Development Company Limited, Taicang Ding Sheng Real Estate Development Company Limited, Chongqing Robinsons Land Real Estate Company Limited, and Chongqing Ding Hong Real Estate Development Company Limited.
Go also holds directorship positions in the following companies: Cebu Air, Inc., Manila Electric Company, JG Summit Olefins Corporation, and Cebu Light Industrial Park. He also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Philippine Retailers Association.
Go graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Engineering from Ateneo de Manila University in 1989.
In its announcement of the new position, the Presidential Communications Office also highlighted a few awards that Go has received through the years, including 2023 Person of the Year by the Rotary International District 3810, 2021 Property Man of the Year by the FIABCI Prix D’Excellence and 2020 Real Estate CEO of the Year for Southeast Asia by the Global Banking and Finance Review.
