THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) expects investment approvals to hit a record high this year, surpassing the P311 billion in 2012, Director General Tereso Panga said.
The agency approved P297.14 billion in investments from January to September, up 92.07 percent from a year earlier, and just P2.86 billion short of its P300-billion full-year target.
With three months remaining, Panga said PEZA was poised to exceed its previous record.
“Definitely, we will exceed that, the highest level,” he told reporters at the Arangkada Philippines 2026 Forum in Manila Marriott Hotel.
Four projects worth $1 billion each are in the pipeline, Panga said. Three, involving semiconductors, aviation and hyperscaler solutions, are expected to secure approval this year and will be located in New Clark City.
The fourth, a high-tech electronics project by a Japanese company, is expected to be approved early next year. It will be located in the Carmelray Industrial Park and Laguna Technopark special economic zones.
Panga said the Japanese company had already paid a courtesy visit to Trade Secretary Cristina Roque.
The PEZA board will meet next week to consider at least P10 billion worth of projects.
Panga attributed the strong investment growth partly to companies seeking production sites outside China. Taiwan and South Korea are among PEZA’s biggest sources of investment, he said.
He identified electric vehicles and electronics as promising sectors, with investors expanding beyond assembly, testing and packaging into more advanced technologies. These include laser beam technology, silicon carbide, multilayer ceramic capacitors and advanced packaging.
Panga said the investment influx could help strengthen economic growth and attract more investors.
PEZA plans investment road shows in Japan, Singapore and Taiwan this quarter. It has yet to set its investment approvals target for 2027, but Panga said there was “no way but up” for the agency.
