PEZA books P175.37-billion investment pledges in Jan.-Oct. 2025

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) on Friday said it approved P175.37 billion worth of investment commitments consisting of new and expansion initiatives in its special economic zones in the January to October 2025 period.

In a news release, PEZA said the over P170-billion investment pledges approved in the first ten months of the year brings the agency close to its P250-billion target for the rest of 2025.

The PEZA said the January to October 2025 investment approvals grew by 41.72% from P123.756 billion in the same period in 2024.

The amount represents 243 new and expansion projects, the PEZA said, which are expected to generate $6.079 billion in exports and create 59,937 direct jobs.

In terms of investor nationality, the agency said the Japanese have reclaimed their spot as the leading contributors to PEZA's approved investments, followed by investors from the Cayman Islands, South Korea, China, Singapore, the USA, among others.

The PEZA said a significant increase in domestic market-oriented investments has also been recorded at P84.312 billion.

In October alone, the agency reported that it registered P20.661 billion in approved investments from 28 new and expansion projects, marking a 162.64% surge compared to the P7.869 billion recorded in the same month last year. 

It said the projects are expected to generate $1.588 billion in exports, up 182.33% year-on-year, and create 9,507 new jobs, up 95.53% from a year ago.

The latest approved projects in October are spread across key sectors led by export-oriented manufacturing, followed by IT services, domestic market enterprises, facilities management, logistics, and ecozone development, reflecting a healthy diversification of economic activity under PEZA.

The agency said the CALABARZON region continues to be the powerhouse of investment, with Laguna emerging as a standout location. 

Notably, three big-ticket projects approved accounted for P16.327 billion of total approved investments in October.

These are all located in the CALABARZON area, "reflecting PEZA's intensified efforts to spur regional development, generate local employment, and decentralize progress beyond Metro Manila."

"With over 70% of our investment target already achieved within ten months—and with strong pipelines of projects still under review—we are confident and optimistic of meeting and hopefully even exceeding our 2025 investment goal of P250 billion," said PEZA Director General Tereso Panga.

"We recognize the current global and domestic factors influencing overall investment sentiment. Within this context, based on PEZA's performance, this reflects the continuing confidence of our locators and partners in the ecozone program and the country's long-term investment potential. Our focus remains on strengthening our ecozone program and ensuring a stable, transparent, and competitive business environment that supports sustainable growth," said Panga. — VDV, GMA Integrated News