● The Philippine Economic Zone Authority approved 112% more investments to P63.523 billion in January-April 2025 from the same period last year
● The investments cover 86 new and expansion projects expected to generate $846.735 million worth of exports and create more than 24,920 direct employment
● South Korea led the pack with P10.450 billion, followed by the US with P2.529 billion
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) approved 112% more investments to P63.523 billion in January-April 2025 from the same period last year.
The investments cover 86 new and expansion projects projected to generate $846.735 million worth of exports and create more than 24,920 direct employment, the agency said in a statement.
Of the 86 projects, 31 are in manufacturing, 29 in information technology-business process management (IT-BPM), eight domestic, seven economic zone development, seven facilities, and four utilities.
South Korea led the pack with P10.450 billion followed by the US with P2.529 billion; China, P2.169 billion; Japan, P1.656 billion; Hong Kong, P1.136 billion; and Singapore, P.097 billion.
Majority or 40 of the investments will be in Region 6 while the rest are in the following areas: 13 in National Capital Region (NCR), 13 in Region 7, 12 in Region 3, two each in Regions 11 and 1, and one each in Regions 10 and 6.
For April alone, PEZA approved 20 new and expansion projects worth P4.575 billion. These projects are seen to bring in more than 9,000 jobs and generate above $300 million worth of exports.
The 20 projects are in export manufacturing (7), IT-BPM (5), facilities (4), utilities (2), logistics (1) and domestic market (1), to be located in NCR, Cordillera Administrative Region, Region III, Region IV-A, and Region VII.
“PEZA’s continued upward trajectory reflects our strong commitment towards investment promotion and facilitation. Despite the geopolitical challenges, this momentum reflects renewed investor confidence in the Philippines as a resilient and globally competitive destination,” PEZA director general Tereso Panga said.
“With the current global trade volatilities and uncertainty in the supply chain, we have been receiving more queries about the Philippines and even welcoming several inbound delegations exploring investment opportunities within the ecozones,” Panga said.
“We are bullish that more investors will look at the Philippines for the expansion or even transfer of their offshore operations in the coming months,” he added.
PEZA earlier said it is on track to achieve its 9-10% investment growth target this year.
