The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said Friday it approved P237.1 billion worth of investments in 2025, up 10.7 percent from P214.18 billion in 2024.
The full-year approvals covering January to December included 307 new and expansion projects projected to generate $10.217 billion in exports and create 74,678 jobs. Of the total amount, P191.48 billion came from 38 big-ticket projects.
December approvals enhanced the performance of the year after the board approved 26 projects during the month, up 62.5 percent from 16 approvals in December 2024. Total investments in December surged 136 percent to P29.84 billion from a year ago.
Projected exports from December approvals reached $2.83 billion, a 261.43-percent jump, while projected employment climbed to 5,183 jobs, representing a 390.35-percent increase from the same month last year.
Six big-ticket projects accounted for P24.107 billion of December investments, including three manufacturing projects, one domestic enterprise and two ecozone development ventures.
Manufacturing led December approvals with 12 projects, followed by ecozone development with five and IT-BPM with three. Logistics and domestic enterprises recorded two projects each, while facilities and utilities accounted for one project apiece.
Most December investments were located in Region IV-A with 18 projects, while the rest were spread across Regions III, I, V, VII and X, as well as the National Capital Region.
“Surpassing our 2024 investment milestone ahead of year-end strongly reflects growing confidence in the Philippines as a stable, competitive and future-ready investment destination,” Philippine Economic Zone Authority director-general Tereso Panga said.
Manufacturing dominated full-year approvals with 146 projects, followed by IT-BPM with 67. Other investments were spread across ecozone development with 26 projects, facilities and domestic enterprises with 25 each, logistics with 13 and utilities with five.
By location, Luzon accounted for 263 approved projects across the Cordillera Administrative Region, the National Capital Region and Regions I, III, IV and V. The Visayas recorded 33 projects in Regions VI and VII, while Mindanao secured 11 projects in Regions X, XI and XII.
The agency said the P237.1 billion figure remains a partial tally. The board expressed optimism about hitting a P250-billion year-end target in a final meeting scheduled for Dec. 22, 2025.
