INVESTMENT pledges approved by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) surged by 94.42 percent to P140.68 billion in the first six months of 2026 from P72.36 billion a year earlier, the agency said on Monday.
The 157 new and expansion projects, if realized, are projected to generate $3.36 billion in exports and generate 23,140 jobs.
“PEZA’s first-half approvals send a clear message, the Philippines remains firmly on the radar of global investors,” PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said in a statement.
Most of the projects involve manufacturing (70), followed by information technology-business process management (24), ecozone development (24), facilities (13), logistics (13), domestic (7), tourism (4) and utilities (2).
Twenty-one of the 157 projects approved comprise big-ticket projects worth a combined P122.84 billion, the PEZA said.
By type of enterprise, manufacturing accounted for P78.2 billion in planned projects, followed by ecozone development (P27.15 billion), tourism (P20.32 billion) and domestic market enterprise (P5.78 billion).
In terms of location, Luzon led with 126 projects, followed by the Visayas (21) and Mindanao (10).
The Cordillera Administrative Region led the regional ranking with P50.05 billion, followed by Central Luzon (P34.76 billion), Southern Luzon (P31.58 billion) and the National Capital Region (P11.26 billion).
The Netherlands was the top source of investment pledges with South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany and Japan following.
In June alone, investment approvals jumped by 163.2 percent to P15.85 billion from P6.02 billion a year earlier. The 22 pledges were projected to generate $401.05 million in exports and create 3,218 jobs.
Manufacturing (12) again accounted for the biggest share. IT-BPM (5), ecozone development (3), domestic (1) and logistics (1) comprised the rest.
Three of the projects involving IT-BPM operations and ecozone development in Sto. Tomas and Alitagtag, Batangas, and in Quezon City are worth a combined P14.193 billion alone, the PEZA said.
Calabarzon emerged as the primary investment hub with 11 projects, followed by NCR (3), Davao (3), Western Visayas (3), and Central Luzon and Caraga with one project each.
The PEZA, which approved a record P260.89 billion in pledges last year, is aiming for P300 billion this year.
