The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) exceeded its P250 billion investment target this year after approvals reached P260.89 billion—up 21.91 percent from last year’s P214.18 billion and marking the agency’s strongest performance since 2016.
PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said the 2025 approvals now rank as the sixth highest in the agency’s history, a milestone achieved “despite global headwinds and economic challenges,” according to a press release issued Wednesday.
“PEZA has defied the odds as it sustained its upward investment growth trajectory, anchored on the continued trust and confidence of investors in the Philippines, and most especially, in our ecozones,” Panga said.
Buoyed by this momentum, PEZA is now setting its sights higher, with Panga announcing a P300 billion investment approval target for next year.
Investment approvals this year covered 314 new and expansion projects—up 23.14 percent from the 255 projects recorded in 2024—spanning key sectors such as manufacturing, information technology–business process management (IT-BPM), logistics, utilities, facilities, domestic market enterprises, tourism, and economic zone development.
Notably, 41 big-ticket projects accounted for P210.9 billion of the total approvals, highlighting strong investor confidence in large-scale, high-impact ventures, PEZA data showed.
Collectively, these projects are projected to generate up to $11.52 billion in export revenues and create 78,741 direct jobs, underscoring PEZA’s significant contribution to employment and export growth.
At the PEZA Board’s final meeting for the year on Dec. 22, seven new and expansion projects worth P23.69 billion were approved. These investments are expected to generate 3,821 direct jobs and produce $1.304 billion in export revenues.
Of the seven, three are classified as big-ticket investments amounting to P23.12 billion, including an ultra-luxury hotel brand.
In addition to these approvals, the press release noted that the PEZA Board—chaired by Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque—also approved an additional P29.62 billion worth of investments during the same meeting.
“Building on this momentum, we remain focused on strengthening our ecozone ecosystem, expanding high-quality investments, and creating more jobs for Filipinos, as we position PEZA for sustained growth and greater opportunities in the years ahead,” Panga said.
