Finance • Economic Development • Investment • Access to Capital

Fidel O. Abalos is a Certified Public Accountant, business and economic commentator, and long-time observer of the Cebu and Philippine economy whose work brings together financial discipline, enterprise realities, public policy, investment, and economic development.

He is widely known through his long-running “Full Disclosure” column in The Freeman, part of the PhilStar Media Group, where he regularly writes about issues affecting businesses, investors, workers, and the broader economy. His recent commentary has examined subjects ranging from foreign direct investment and investor confidence to infrastructure spending, taxation, wages, tourism, housing, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and the circular economy.

This body of work gives Abalos a perspective that goes beyond accounting numbers alone. His analysis frequently examines how government policy, infrastructure, global economic conditions, access to finance, regulation, productivity, and business confidence ultimately affect enterprises on the ground—particularly small and medium-sized businesses that operate with tighter capital and smaller margins for error.

As a CPA, Abalos brings financial fundamentals into the discussion on economic growth. Investment opportunities become sustainable only when businesses understand their economics, projects are financially viable, capital is allocated effectively, and both public and private decision-makers maintain transparency and accountability.

His public commentary has repeatedly emphasized the importance of investment confidence and infrastructure to economic expansion. In discussing foreign direct investment, he has highlighted the need for the Philippines to strengthen the conditions that make investors willing to commit long-term capital. More recently, he has argued that reduced investment and infrastructure spending can have significant consequences for economic growth.

Abalos has also written extensively about Cebu’s economic drivers—including tourism, MICE, exports, housing, MSMEs, and the province’s ability to compete for investment. This gives him a distinctly Cebu-grounded perspective on a central economic challenge:

How can promising opportunities become businesses and projects capable of attracting capital?

Beyond his work in media, public records identify Abalos as a CPA and Vice President of the Bamboo Bay Community Condo Corporation in Cebu, adding practical organizational and governance experience to his financial and economic perspective.