INVESTMENT approvals since the start of the year have hit P175.37 billion, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said on Friday, up 41.72 percent from P123.76 billion a year ago amid global headwinds.
The 243 new and expansion projects approved as of Oct. 24, if realized, are expected to generate $6.079 billion in exports and 59,937 direct jobs.
“We recognize the current global and domestic factors influencing overall investment sentiment,” PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
“Our focus remains on strengthening our ecozone program and ensuring a stable, transparent, and competitive business environment that supports sustainable growth.”
The PEZA said the January to near end-October tally had brought it nearer to a “conservative” full-year target of P250 billion.
“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,” Panga said.
Japanese investors were said to account for the bulk of approved investments as of Oct. 2, followed by those from the Cayman Islands, China, Singapore and the United States.
A “significant increase” in domestic market-oriented investments was also recorded at P84.32 billion, PEZA said, nearly half of approvals since the start of 2025.
Broken down, 112 of the approved investment projects involve export-oriented manufacturing, followed by information technology services (60), domestic market enterprises (21), ecozone development (19), facilities management (19), logistics (8) and utilities (4).
Most, or 178, will be set up in Luzon with the rest in the Visayas (29) and Mindanao (8).
In October alone, 28 projects worth P20.66 billion were approved, 162.64 percent higher year on year. Again, if realized, these are expected to lead to $1.59 billion in additional exports and 9,507 jobs.
Manufacturing accounted for 14, with the rest involving IT services (5), domestic market (3), facilities (3), ecozone development (2) and logistics (1).
Twenty-three will be located in the Calabarzon region with three projects alone accounting for P16.33 billion. The rest will be in the National Capital Region (4) and the Cordillera Administrative Region (1).
Increased investments, the PEZA said, will boost economic growth this year and in 2026 as actual ecozone exports and employment rose by 10 percent and five percent, respectively, in January-September.