The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) posted robust investment growth in the first half of 2025, with total approved pledges amounting to P72.362 billion — up 59.1 percent from P45.481 billion during the same period last year.

The investment promotion agency attributed the sharp increase to sustained investor interest across high-growth sectors, particularly manufacturing and information technology-business process management (IT-BPM), as well as its continued push to improve ease of doing business and align with the government’s economic priorities.

“This continued surge in investments affirms PEZA’s role as a vital engine for economic growth and job creation for the country,” PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said.

From January to June, PEZA approved 133 projects, a 10.83 percent increase from 120 projects in the same period of 2024. These are expected to create 32,983 direct jobs, a 30.58 percent jump compared to the 25,259 jobs projected a year earlier.

The first half of 2025 also saw the approval of eight big-ticket projects, injecting more than P50 billion into the economy.

South Korea emerged as the largest source of foreign investments during the period, followed by the United States, China, the Netherlands, and Japan. The manufacturing sector — particularly in food and beverage — received the largest share of capital, followed by ecozone development and IT-BPM ventures.

On 19 June, the PEZA Board, led by Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, approved 31 new and expansion projects worth P6.022 billion. These are projected to generate USD 166.426 million in export revenues (approximately P9.65 billion, based on data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines as of 3 July 2025) and create 3,646 direct jobs.

Among these, 14 are export-oriented enterprises, while seven fall under IT-BPM. The rest include domestic market-oriented businesses, logistics operations, facilities development, and ecozone developer projects. The projects are spread across key regions including the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the National Capital Region (NCR), and Regions III, IV-A, VII, and XI — signaling broad-based economic activity nationwide.

June investments alone registered a 113.77 percent month-on-month increase, rising from P2.817 billion in May to P6.022 billion.

PEZA also reported over 50 active investment leads currently under negotiation, fueled by outbound promotion campaigns and visits from high-level foreign and domestic business delegations. Recent investment interests include electronics manufacturing services (EMS), automotive and aviation components, and digital healthcare solutions.

“The Philippines is surely in a sweet spot to attract FDIs at this time and surely, Filipinos and the whole country will reap the results of our combined hard work soon,” Panga added.