The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) recorded a strong first-half performance in 2025, approving P72.362 billion worth of investments from January to June 2025, up 59.1 percent from P45.48 billion it registered in the same period last year.
PEZA director-general Tereso Panga attributed the agency’s strong midyear performance to its continued efforts to streamline processes, promote regional growth and support the Marcos administration’s push for job-generating and export-oriented investments.
“This continued surge in investments affirms PEZA’s role as a vital engine for economic growth and job creation for the country. The confidence shown by both new and existing investors is a strong signal that our ecozones are thriving and open for business,” he said.
PEZA approved 133 new and expansion projects in the first six months, higher by 10.83 percent than the 120 projects it registered in the same period last year.
These projects are expected to generate 32,982 direct jobs and about $1.26 billion in exports, PEZA said.
The manufacturing sector remained the largest contributor with 55 projects, followed by 39 in information technology-business process management (IT-BPM), 12 domestic market enterprises and nine ecozone development projects.
The rest were spread across 10 new facility projects, four in logistics and four in utilities.
Big-ticket investments accounted for P50.89 billion of the total, reflecting ongoing interest in large-scale, capital-intensive projects.
PEZA recorded a 30.4-percent decline in approved investments in June 2025 to P6.02 billion from P8.65 billion a year earlier, even as the number of approved projects rose to 31 from 25 in the same month last year.
Despite the slower investments, the June approvals are expected to generate 7,793 direct jobs and $241.787 million in export revenues.
Manufacturing and IT-BPM remained the top sectors, followed by logistics, domestic market enterprises and ecozone development during the month.
Region IV-A (CALABARZON) continued to be the top investment destination, followed by Region VII (Central Visayas), the National Capital Region and Region III (Central Luzon), with the rest spread across other regions.
