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The Philippine Economic Zone Authority is aiming to breach the P300-billion mark of approved investments this year or next
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The “ambitious target” may still be hit this year as the agency is expected to approve at least four projects during its last board meeting on December 22
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As of December 12, the PEZA Board has already approved a total of P238 billion this year, 11% higher than the P214.18 billion approved investments in 2024
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If not this year, PEZA director general Tereso Panga said they will hit the P300-billion mark next year “for sure”
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is aiming to breach the P300-billion mark of approved investments this year or next, according to director general Tereso Panga.
The “ambitious target” may still be hit this year as the agency is expected to approve at least four projects during its last board meeting on December 22, Panga told reporters at the sidelines of the investment promotions agency’s 30th anniversary and investors’ recognition night on December 15.
As of December 12, the PEZA Board has already approved a total of P238 billion this year. It already exceeds the P214.18 billion approved investments in 2024 by 11%.
The projects that may be approved during the last board meeting are mostly manufacturing, with some real estate developers, and some new big ticket investments.
READ: PEZA approvals hit P207.6B in Jan-Nov, up 3% year-on-year
If not this year, Panga said they will hit the P300-billion mark next year “for sure.”
For starters, Panga said PEZA representatives are traveling to the United States early next year to meet with a big ticket investor.
“It is our aspiration that, if not this year, we will breach the P300-billion mark by 2026 — bringing us back to the heydays of PEZA when we were approving an average of P290 billion in annual investments during the 2011 to 2015 period,” Panga said in a speech during the event.
“This solid performance affirms PEZA’s unwavering commitment to ease of doing business, job creation, and positioning the Philippines as a top investment hub in Asia,” Panga added.
PEZA in 2023 also aimed to hit the P300-billion mark.
Panga said there is optimism, as seen in the increasing trajectory of approved investments.
He said PEZA has not only recovered from the downward spiral in ecozone investments recorded from 2016 to 2021 but has also achieved its highest investment approvals in the past seven years.
Since 2022, PEZA’s approved annual investments have been consistently growing – peaking at P214.18 billion in 2024, Panga noted.
“Sabi ko nga these investors are investing in the future more than the present. That means they have their trust, huge trust and confidence in the current leadership and that eventually we will surpass all these troubles besetting us now,” he said, acknowledging that “of course, some reforms are needed as well.”
Aside from investment projects, PEZA now has 35 new and expanded ecozones proclaimed since 2022, most of which are strategically located in different areas to promote regional development.
Panga said more are in the pipeline, including new public economic zones in the Bicol region and in Palawan.
By January, 14 more ecozones are expected to be proclaimed, he said.—Roumina Pablo
