The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) expresses full support for the vision and direction set forth by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Since the onset of the Marcos Administration, PEZA performance has been on an upward trajectory. The sound policies and fundamentals has generated PhP 580 Billion in investments from approved 725 new and expansion projects which created more than 100,000 direct jobs for Filipinos nationwide. This momentum is being driven by our strategic initiatives aligned with the President’s call for inclusive and sustainable development.

Under the leadership of PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga and DTI Secretary and PEZA Board Chair Ma. Cristina A. Roque, with support from Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs, Secretary Frederick D. Go, and the rest of the economic team, we further strengthen our investment promotion and facilitation to attract the much-needed investments into the country through the various ecozones which provide the best business ecosystem for local and foreign investors alike. With the President’s support, a total of 34 new special ecozones worth PhP 14 Billion have been proclaimed under his term.

In furtherance to the ecozone development under the Philippine Development Plan medium-term strategy, PEZA creates new types of ecozones that will host strategic and high-value investments in the country. Among these frontiers is the Palawan Mega Ecozone development, a project in partnership with the Bureau of Corrections, seen to cluster key industries, logistics hubs, and smart city features in one integrated 20,000-hectare development in Palawan—supporting the administration’s drive for regional growth and countryside development specially to spur trade in BIMP-EAGA and ASEAN, serving as the Philippines’ strategic gateway to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and the world.

This initiative also aims to empower local pharmaceutical manufacturers to enter the playing field and further position the Philippines as a regional hub for life sciences, innovation, and self-reliant healthcare systems.

Our forthcoming Pantao Special Ecozone in Albay likewise aims to unlock the full potential of the Bicol region as a new investment frontier, becoming the prime eastern sea board port that will bridge the Indo-Pacific and thus creating another growth area. This supports the President’s vision of leveraging underutilized regions to catalyze broad-based growth.

Furthermore, PEZA has been relentless in conducting aggressive investment missions, maximizing the country’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as well as the advantages under the EU GSP+, UK DCTS, and 19% reciprocal tariff. We are also promoting the Philippines as a prime location in the evolving in Asia Pacific under the China+1+1 strategy, given our position as one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. These efforts have attracted high-value and high-tech industries that generate muchneeded investments, quality jobs for Filipinos, and increased export revenues—all geared towards the country’s graduation to upper-middle-income status by 2028.

As we support President Marcos Jr.’s “Bagong Pilipinas” governance agenda, PEZA remains committed to strengthening its role as a catalyst for a growth and innovation towards a transformative economic development.

Together with our valued locators and stakeholders, we are building globally competitive ecozones that serve as engines of growth and pillars of a resilient Philippine economy.

We will continue to make it happen in the Philippines guided by our mantra of eco-zoning the country towards inclusive and sustainable development!