The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Board has greenlit 18 new projects worth approximately P12.86 billion at its first meeting of the year, signaling continued — though sharply reduced — investor activity.
In a statement released Wednesday, PEZA disclosed that only three of the approved projects qualify as big-ticket investments, accounting for P11.89 billion of the total. These include a tourism economic zone enterprise in Parañaque City and two economic zone development projects in Misamis Occidental and Batangas.
Despite spanning manufacturing, IT-BPM, utilities, economic zone development, logistics, and tourism, the projects are expected to generate just 1,005 jobs nationwide and deliver an estimated $59.74 million in exports — modest returns given the scale of approvals.
The approved projects will be spread across Calabarzon, the National Capital Region, Central Visayas, Bicol Region, Northern Mindanao, and Soccsksargen.
PEZA noted that the bulk of the investments came from firms based in Japan, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China.
However, the latest approvals fall dramatically short of the P30.16 billion cleared by the PEZA Board during the same period in 2025, underscoring a significant slowdown in investment momentum.
“Investors today are taking a more deliberate approach — prioritizing resilience, efficiency, and long-term value. What is encouraging is that the Philippines continues to offer stable fundamentals that allow export-oriented investments to move forward with confidence,” PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said.
“Resilience is built not just in times of expansion, but in how economies navigate transition. What we are seeing today is a steady recalibration — one that keeps the Philippines firmly in investors’ long-term plans,” he added.
Still, PEZA is pushing ahead with an ambitious target of P300 billion in investment approvals this year, a goal it claims could generate around 100,000 new jobs.
PEZA PHOTO