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The Philippine Economic Zone Authority Board approved 34 new and expansion projects worth a total of P22.505 billion in February 2026
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In Jan-Feb, there were 52 new and expansion projects approved worth P35.366 billion
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The projects reflect a broadened and diversified investor base, with new leading nationalities including South Korea, Indonesia, the British Virgin Islands, China, and Japan
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Amid global uncertainties, PEZA remains confident in the Philippines’ long-term competitiveness, but is ready to recalibrate its investment targets
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Board approved 34 new and expansion projects worth a total of P22.505 billion in investments for February 2026.
The number of approved projects for February 2026 are higher than the 26 approved in February 2025, though the investment cost is 1.2% lower than the P22.777 billion recorded in February last year, PEZA said in a press release.
The 34 approved projects are projected to generate $10.382 billion in exports, and create 4,044 direct jobs.
The projects cover various industries, including 13 export manufacturing, five information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) projects, five facilities development, two in logistics, one domestic market project, one in tourism, and seven ecozone developments.
These investments will be located in Metro Manila, CALABARZON (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon), Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Central and Western Visayas, and the Ilocos Region.
Moreover, three major ventures are set to generate a combined investment of P18.367 billion through their upcoming projects in Bulacan, Pampanga, and Tarlac.
Spanning tourism, domestic market enterprise, and ecozone development, PEZA said these big-ticket investments reflect a strong multi-sectoral enterprise mix and serve as clear proof of the continued expansion and deepening of the country’s ecozone network in growth corridors outside Metro Manila.
In the first two months of the year, there were a total of 52 new and expansion projects approved worth a total of P35.366 billion in investments and expected to generate over 5,000 direct Filipino jobs.
This reflects a 33.33% increase compared to the 39 projects approved during the same period in 2025 but 33% lower than the P52.933 billion total in February 2025.
Projected exports for the January-February 2026 approved projects are at $10.442 billion, a 3,711% surge year-on-year from the export projections in the same period last year.
PEZA noted that the 52 approved projects reflect a broadened and diversified investor base, with new leading nationalities including South Korea, Indonesia, the British Virgin Islands, China, and Japan.
Overall, the approved projects comprise 40 locator companies across manufacturing, IT-BPM, logistics, and facilities development, along with 12 ecozone development projects.
PEZA said these figures “highlight the growing depth of investment activity, sustained export expansion, and PEZA’s strategic push to accelerate industrial growth nationwide.”
“While PEZA is cautiously optimistic about achieving double-digit growth in investment approvals this year, the approval of 52 new and expansion projects already underscores the continued diversification of industries within our ecozones and the steady expansion of investments across the countryside,” PEZA director general Tereso Panga said.
Moreover, PEZA said ecozone development has now emerged as its primary growth driver, ranking first and accounting for 33.18% of cumulative top ecozone locator and developer investments from 1995 to 2025.
Regional transformation
The investment promotions authority said this “underscores the increasing strategic importance of ecozone infrastructure as the backbone of sustained export expansion, industrial clustering, and regional economic transformation.”
Building on this momentum, PEZA said it will continue to pioneer future-ready ecozone models aligned with national industrial priorities.
These include agro-industrial and aquamarine ecozones within the Palawan Mega Ecozone—whose implementing guidelines are targeted for release this year—as well as aerotropolis-centered ecozones designed to maximize airport-linked infrastructure and position the Philippines as a strategic logistics and manufacturing hub in the Indo-Pacific.
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PEZA is also strengthening partnership with the industry and the academe for the development of Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology (KIST) and pharma parks.
Panga noted that by “strategically expanding and modernizing our ecozones across the archipelago, we are laying down the infrastructure backbone of a more resilient, regionally balanced, and globally integrated Philippine economy.”
This strategic direction is also aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s agenda of accelerating infrastructure-led industrialization and dispersing economic opportunities beyond Metro Manila.
In advancing this national vision, PEZA said it is seeking to amend its 31-year-old governing law to continuously expand and strengthen its ecozone network. With more than 430 operating economic zones nationwide, PEZA said ecozones act as critical engines for export production, technology transfer, foreign direct investment inflows, and deeper participation in global value chains.
Amid rising geopolitical tensions and volatility in global energy markets, PEZA also emphasized the need for prudent and adaptive investment outlooks for the remainder of 2026.
The escalation of conflicts in the Middle East and in other parts of the world, resulting in a surge in global oil prices and logistics challenges, may affect supply chains, and investor sentiment across export-oriented industries.
READ: Global logistics face major disruption as Middle East crisis escalates
“I understand the uncertainty that these global challenges pose, but PEZA remains confident in the Philippines’ long-term competitiveness,” Panga said.
He added that the authority is closely monitoring global economic developments and stands ready to recalibrate its investment targets if necessary to reflect evolving market conditions. PEZA this year is targeting a total of P300 billion investments and 100,000 new jobs.
“Our focus remains on sustaining investor confidence while ensuring that our projections remain realistic and responsive to global economic shifts,” Panga noted.
