MANILA – The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has exceeded its 2025 investment target after recording ₱260.89 billion in approved investments, surpassing its ₱250-billion goal and posting a 21.91 percent increase from last year’s ₱214.18 billion total.

In a statement released Wednesday, PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said the agency’s performance marked its sixth-highest investment approval level since 2016, achieved despite global economic uncertainties.

“PEZA has defied the odds and sustained its upward investment growth trajectory, anchored on the continued trust and confidence of investors in the Philippines—especially in our economic zones,” Panga said.

Buoyed by this strong performance, PEZA is now setting its sights on ₱300 billion worth of investment approvals in 2026.

Data showed that a total of 314 new and expansion projects were approved this year—23.14 percent higher than the 255 projects recorded in 2024. These investments span key sectors such as manufacturing, information technology–business process management (IT-BPM), logistics, utilities, facilities development, domestic market enterprises, tourism, and economic zone development.

Of the total approvals, 41 big-ticket projects accounted for ₱210.9 billion, according to PEZA records. These projects are expected to generate up to USD 11.52 billion in export revenues and create 78,741 direct jobs.

During the PEZA Board’s final meeting for the year on December 22, seven additional projects worth ₱23.69 billion were approved. These are projected to generate 3,821 direct jobs and USD 1.304 billion in exports. Three of these projects—valued at ₱23.12 billion—are classified as big-ticket investments, including an ultra-luxury hotel development.

Apart from PEZA-registered projects, the Board, chaired by Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque, also approved ₱29.62 billion worth of additional investments during the same meeting.

“Building on this momentum, we remain focused on strengthening our ecozone ecosystem, attracting high-quality investments, and creating more jobs for Filipinos as we position PEZA for sustained growth in the years ahead,” Panga said.

New Ecozones in the Pipeline

Panga also thanked the Marcos administration for approving 10 new and expanded economic zones this year. He added that 14 more ecozones are currently in the pipeline, awaiting proclamation.

He cited the recent approval of the country’s first Mega Ecozone in Ihawig, Palawan, and a Pacific gateway ecozone in Pantao, Albay, as major drivers of future investment growth.

“As more ecozones are proclaimed, we are confident that investment inflows will continue to rise. Locators are increasingly seeing the value of expanding and consolidating their supply chains in the Philippines,” Panga said.

— NPO News Team | PNA