THE PHILIPPINE Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) experienced a 59% rise in sanctioned investment commitments in the initial six months of 2025, even though there was a decline in approvals in June.
In a press release, PEZA indicated that its board sanctioned P72.362 billion worth of investments during the January-to-June timeframe, reflecting a 59.1% increase from the P45.481 billion investment commitments authorized in the same timeframe last year.
“This ongoing influx of investments highlights PEZA’s vital role as a significant driver for economic development and job creation within the nation,” PEZA Director-General Tereso O. Panga stated in a release on Wednesday.
“The trust displayed by both new and returning investors demonstrates that our economic zones (ecozones) are flourishing and ready for commerce,” he continued.
Nonetheless, the PEZA board only approved P6.022 billion in investments for June, marking a decline of 30.4% from P8.654 billion during the equivalent month in 2024.
In June, the PEZA board authorized 31 new and expansion initiatives that are projected to yield $166.426 million in export revenues and provide 3,646 jobs.
Fourteen of the approved initiatives will be executed by export-focused enterprises, while seven projects pertain to the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector.
Four initiatives focus on domestic market-oriented enterprises, and another four are related to logistics.
One project pertains to ecozone development, while another involves facility development.
The majority of the initiatives are anticipated to be situated in Region IV-A or Calabarzon, while others will be located in Central Luzon, the National Capital Region, Davao Region, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, and the Ilocos Region.
For the January-to-June period, PEZA sanctioned 133 initiatives expected to create 32,983 jobs and possess $1.26 billion in export value.
Most of these initiatives are in manufacturing, with 39 being IT-BPM projects, 12 designated for domestic market-oriented enterprises, 10 concerning facility development, and nine related to ecozone development.
There are four utility projects, with an additional four in logistics.
“South Koreans emerge as the top investor for the first half of the year, followed by Americans, Chinese, Dutch, and Japanese,” PEZA reported.
“Regarding sectoral investments, the production of food and beverage items leads the chart, followed by ecozone development and IT-BPM,” it remarked.
Following the investment performance in the first half, Mr. Panga expressed he is “hopeful” that PEZA will meet its objectives this year.
This year, PEZA aims for investment approvals to reach no less than P235 billion, along with a 5% rise in both actual exports and employment.
“The Philippines is undoubtedly positioned well to attract foreign direct investments at this moment, and surely, Filipinos and the entire nation will benefit from our collective efforts soon,” Mr. Panga remarked.
PEZA mentioned it is pursuing 50 investment prospects, which it hopes will materialize into actual investments.
“PEZA also welcomed various high-level inbound delegations during this period representing the US, China, Japan, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, and even domestic exploratory missions within the Philippines,” PEZA noted.
It indicated interest in electronics manufacturing and semiconductor manufacturing services, advanced manufacturing activities, aviation, automotive, and information technology-business process management sectors. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
