Investment pledges registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in the second month of 2026 soared 74.9 percent to PHP22.505 billion from PHP12.861 billion in the first month of the year.
PEZA reported that they approved a total of 34 new projects in February potential exports of USD10.382 billion. These projects are also expected to generate 4,044 new jobs once fully operational.
However, the combined approvals in the first two months of the year are still 33.18 percent lower than the PHP52.93 billion registration in the same period in 2025.
Among the 34 projects approved in February are various types of industries, including 13 export manufacturing, 5 IT-BPM projects, 5 facilities development, 2 logistics, one domestic market project, one tourism, and 7 ecozone developments. These projects will be strategically located in Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Central and Western Visayas, and the Ilocos Region.
Moreover, 3 major ventures are set to generate a combined investment of PHP18.367 billion through their upcoming projects in Bulacan, Pampanga, and Tarlac. Spanning tourism, domestic market enterprise, and ecozone development, these big-ticket investments reflect a strong multi-sectoral enterprise mix and serve as clear proof of the continued expansion and deepening of the country’s ecozone network in growth corridors outside Metro Manila.
For the first two months, there were a total of 52 new and expansion projects approved by PEZA.
PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga stated, “While PEZA is cautiously optimistic about achieving double-digit growth in investment approvals this year, the approval of 52 new and expansion projects already underscores the continued diversification of industries within our ecozones and the steady expansion of investments across the countryside. We remain focused on opening new frontiers in ecozone development by broadening industry participation, deepening regional expansion, and strengthening the overall competitiveness of our investment ecosystem.”
Ecozone development has now emerged as PEZA’s primary growth driver, ranking first and accounting for 33.18 percent of cumulative top ecozone locator and developer investments from 1995 to 2025.
Building on this momentum, PEZA continues to pioneer future-ready ecozone models aligned with national industrial priorities. These include agro-industrial and aquamarine ecozones within the Palawan Mega Ecozone—whose implementing guidelines are targeted for release this year—as well as aerotropolis-centered ecozones designed to maximize airport-linked infrastructure and position the Philippines as a strategic logistics and manufacturing hub in the Indo-Pacific.
PEZA is also strengthening partnership with the industry and the academe for the development of Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology (KIST) and pharma parks, fostering research-driven investments, technology transfer, and high-value industries that will further enhance the country’s competitiveness in the global economy.
