How to Start Investing in the Philippine Stock Market: A Beginner’s Guide [2026]

We all have those “boring” office days, but for me, one accidental moment in 2009 while I was in the BPO sector (it was eTelecare – wala na sila now) changed my entire financial future. As a Computer Engineering grad working in tech support, I wasn’t looking for a side hustle until a colleague accidentally dropped a stack of papers.

I guess this is very common in BPO where a colleague turn out to be an insurance agent. He kept on bugging me to buy. But hindi talaga ako interesado at that time. 

It was monday, around 8pm and we just finished our team’s brown bag session when he approached me, wanting to present insurance. While he was opening his bag, several stack of papers fell and I noticed he had documents related to mutual funds. Seeing names like Ayala Land, SM, and Jollibee, companies I interacted with every day, I immediately inquired. and that started my financial journey. 

Understanding Your Options: Mutual Funds vs. Direct Stocks

When I began my research, I faced a big dilemma: should I start with mutual funds or go directly to the stock market? Because I tend to overthink things, I was very concerned about risk. Ultimately, I decided to start with mutual funds.

Mutual funds offered the benefit of professional management and diversification, which helped me learn the ropes without feeling the full pressure of picking individual stocks. After about two years, however, my desire for direct control and a faster pace won out. I dusted off my brokerage account and finally took the leap into the stock market, starting with a brand I knew and trusted: Jollibee Foods Corporation or JFC. Yep, that very popular bubuyog was my first pick ever. And I bought 50 shares of it.

What exactly is a “Stock”?

From my research, A stock, or share, is basically a digital piece of paper that proves you own a fraction of a giant corporation. Think of it like a puzzle: a company is divided into millions of tiny pieces, and when you buy a share, you’re owning one (or more) of those pieces.

This buying of share is what we mean when we say investing in stocks. 

So when I bought 50 shares of Jollibee, it meant that I invested in Jollibee. 50 shares of it. It was priced at around Php 67.00/share when I bought it so my total capital then was around Php 3,400. 

There were close to 300 active stocks or publicly listed companies in the Philippines. Some examples are Ayala Land (ALI), SM Investments (SM), BDO Unibank (BDO), Puregold (PGOLD), GLobe telecom (GLO) and others. Here’s the list of the other companies if interesado ka. 

Each of them have different prices per share which changes during trading hours. So when I say that the price of Jollibee is Php 67/share, dont expect that after 1 year later, its the sam Php 67/share. (though technically possible)  

So, how do I earn or profit or make money from stocks?

A lot of people think investing is just about “buying low and selling high,” but it’s actually more than that.

There are two main ways to grow your wealth:

1. Dividends: Some companies share a portion of their profits with shareholders. A great example is AREIT, they distribute regular payouts, giving you a steady stream of passive income. Yeah, Jollibee is not a good dividend payer. 

2. Price Appreciation: This is the classic “buy and sell.” You buy shares at a certain price, and if the market price of the company – like JFC – goes up, you sell them for a profit.

Now, How Do We Start Investing?

Investing is one of the best ways to build long-term wealth, and thanks to modern platforms, it’s easier than ever to get started. Here is your 3-step guide to starting your journey in the Philippine stock market.

1. Open a Stock Broker Account

Think of a broker as your gateway to the PSE (Philippine Stock Exchange). Platforms like DragonFi are popular because they offer a fully digital experience, meaning no more paperwork-heavy applications. They also have android and ios app if you’re on mobile.

• How to do it: Visit DragonFi.ph/register and fill in your details.

• Requirements: To open an account you need to provide the following details:

  1. Personal Information
  2. Financial Information, including TIN
  3. Government-Issued ID
  4. 3 specimen signatures
  5. Video Selfie (on the app)

   

• Bank account is not needed in opening an account.

• The process: DragonFi’s registration process is fully online for your convenience. In my experience, my account was opened within the day. Some of my students were able to open up to 3 business days.

2. Fund Your Account

You don’t need a massive fortune to start. You can kick things off with as little as ₱1,000. DragonFi offers flexible funding options to make sure you can start investing right away. Personally, I recommend at least ₱5,000 for more flexibility.

• For Real-Time Funding: Use InstaPay or UnionBank Online Banking. These are your best bets if you want your money to reflect immediately so you can jump into the market.

• For Larger Amounts: You can use PesoNet or the Bills Payment feature on banks like BDO, Metrobank, RCBC, and AUB. These usually take one business day to reflect in your account.

• Tip: Always check your specific account number on the DragonFi dashboard before transferring to ensure the funds hit the right account.

3. Buy Your First Stock

You’re already logged in to your Dragonfi account and your initial fund reflected already. Dont worry, you will use the same fund to buy shares of companies. Now let’s buy a few Jollibee shares.

You’ve officially become a part-owner of a Philippine company!

You can monitor the performance of the stock within your broker’s dashboard. 

Remember, the goal isn’t to hit a home run on your very first trade—it’s to get into the game and stay consistent. Kaya mo ‘yan!