Amid reports of a more cautious investment outlook for the Philippines due to the various economic and geopolitical challenges, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said it recorded steady growth with investment registration hitting PHP175.37 billion in the first ten months of the year or 41.72 percent higher than the same period last year. The registered investment pledges also bring PEZA closer to its conservative target of PHP250 billion for the entire 2025.
This comes as PEZA recently concluded its Board meeting last 24 October 2025, wherein a total of PhP175.37 billion in investments from approved new and expansion projects were recorded. This brings PEZA closer to its conservative target of PHP250 billion for the year and reflects the continued trust of investors in the stability and opportunities offered by the country’s ecozones.
PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga said the Board approval in the January-October period this year represented combined project cost of 243 new and expansion projects of locating in its economic zones. “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,” Panga said.
Economic potentials
Panga said these projects are expected to generate USD6.079 billion in exports and create 59,937 direct jobs for Filipinos, reinforcing PEZA’s continued contribution to countryside development, industrial expansion, and sustainable economic growth.
In terms of investor nationality, 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. A significant increase in domestic market-oriented investments has also been recorded at PHP84.312 billion—a testament to both strong domestic investor confidence and the sustained interest of global players in PEZA ecozones.
In October alone, PEZA registered PHP 20.661 billion in approved investments from 28 new and expansion projects, marking a 162.64 percent surge compared to the PHP7.869 billion recorded in the same month last year. These projects are expected to generate USD588 million in exports, an impressive 182.33 percent year-on-year growth, and create 9,507 new jobs, reflecting a 95.53 percent increase compared to October 2024.
These newly approved projects 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.
Meanwhile, regional strength remains evident. In particular, the CALABARZON region continues to be the powerhouse of investment, with Laguna emerging as a standout location. Notably, the three big-ticket projects (PHP1 billion and up) approved accounting for PHP 16.327 billion of investment are all located in the area, reflecting PEZA’s intensified efforts to spur regional development, generate local employment, and decentralize progress beyond Metro Manila.
Outlook
“With over 70 percent 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 PHP250 billion,” DG Panga said.
Moreover, PEZA sees this upward investment trajectory to boost the country’s GDP growth forecast for the year and 2026, given the positive increase in actual ecozone exports and employment for January- September 2025 at 10 percent and 5 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year.
