The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said Thursday it approved P260.89 billion worth of investment projects in 2025, its highest annual performance since 2016 and surpassing its baseline growth targets.
The final figure exceeded the agency’s P250 billion low-end target, even as it fell short of a P300-billion stretched goal amid global economic headwinds.
PEZA director-general Tereso Panga said the results underscore sustained investor confidence in Philippine ecozones despite challenging international conditions.
Following the record-breaking year, the agency set a P300-billion investment target for 2026 to maintain recent growth momentum.
Domestic investments accounted for P153.83 billion of the total approvals, while foreign investments reached P107.06 billion.
The haul was led by 314 new and expansion projects, representing a 23.41-percent rise from 2024. The manufacturing sector led the approvals with 152 projects, followed by IT-BPM with 67, ecozone development with 26 and domestic market enterprises and facilities with 25 projects each.
By sector value, manufacturing topped approvals at P150.52 billion, followed by ecozone development at P76.47 billion and IT-BPM at P11.09 billion.
Japanese firms emerged as the top foreign investors with P32.6 billion in approved capital. Other major contributors included Caymanian companies with P16.69 billion, South Korean companies with P11.46 billion, Singaporean firms with P11.19 billion and Chinese companies with P6.87 billion.
Most of these projects are located in Luzon, particularly in CALABARZON and the Luzon Economic Corridor, accounting for 270 projects across the capital region and surrounding provinces.
The Visayas and Mindanao regions hosted 44 projects. Collectively, the 2025 approvals are expected to generate 78,741 direct jobs and produce export revenues of up to $11.52 billion, which marks a 145.73 percent increase year on year.
PEZA said that in December, it approved 33 projects valued at P53.31 billion. These year-end projects are projected to create about 9,000 direct jobs and generate P4.13 billion in export revenues.
Seven large-scale projects accounted for P41.12 billion of the December total, with 23 of the month’s projects located in Region IV-A.
