Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Tereso O. Panga remains bullish on the entrance of more foreign direct investments into the country with the continued upward trajectory on investment approvals being recorded by the Authority following its Board meeting last 23 April 2025 in Baguio City.
“PEZA’s continued upward trajectory reflects our strong commitment towards investment promotion and facilitation. Despite the geopolitical challenges, this momentum reflects renewed investor confidence in the Philippines as a resilient and globally competitive destination,” said DG Panga.
Board Approvals
For the month of April, the PEZA Board, under the chairmanship of DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque, approved 20 new and expansion projects worth PhP 4.575 Billion. These projects are seen to bring in more than 9,000 jobs and generate above US$ 300 million worth of exports.
The 20 projects are into export manufacturing (7), IT-BPM (5), facilities (4), utilities (2), logistics (1) and domestic market (1) to be located in NCR, CAR, Region III, Region IV-A, and Region VII.
This brings PEZA’s total approved investments for the year to PhP 63.523 Billion, 112.06% higher than the PhP 29.955 Billion approved same time last year. The 86 new and expansion projects will create more than 20,000 jobs.
For the top investors by nationality from January to April, South Korean investors lead the investments followed by the American, Chinese, Japanese, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This indicates the FDI flows that ecozones are reaping from the country’s newly signed FTA with South Korea and the emerging China+2 strategy in the region.
Other engagements
Coinciding the meeting in Baguio, the PEZA Board and Management also graced the topping off ceremony and last beam signing of the Baguio City Economic Zone (BCEZ) Multipurpose Center.
The new two-level facility with 1,098 square meter land area will serve as a venue for leasable office spaces, recreational, and learning activities for BCEZ and its locator companies. Already 62% completed, the Multipurpose Center is expected to be up and running by Q3 2025.
The PEZA Board and Management also met with top officials of Foundever Philippines Corporation and MOOG Controls Corporation (Phil. Branch) in their sites in BCEZ.
As one of the biggest IT-BPM companies in the country, Foundever rebranded from Sitel and acquired Sykes Asia in 2021 and continued to grow its local operations in various IT Parks nationwide, providing more jobs to Filipino talents. To date, Foundever already injected more than 4 billion pesos in investments and directly hired above 30,000 workers.
Foundever commits to strengthen its operations in the Philippines, which comprises 80% of its global output, and help equip local workforce with the increasing integration of AI and various technologies in IT-BPM processes.
One of PEZA’s longstanding locators in BCEZ and one of the top American RBEs, MOOG manufactures and assembles servo components and actuators for aircraft and industrial applications. MOOG’s unique operations already injected above PhP 4 Billion in investments and provided jobs to more than 1,500 Filipino workers.
During the visit, MOOG also signed its Supplemental Agreement (SA) with PEZA for its new facility in Luisita Industrial Park in Tarlac.
The PEZA Board and Management also had the opportunity to visit Superl Philippines Inc. (SPI) in Angeles Industrial Park in Pampanga.
SPI manufactures products of leather and imitation leather and other articles in its facility in Pampanga, which is the biggest among all its manufacturing operations worldwide. SPI employs more than 3,000 Filipinos and invested more than PhP 60 million in the country.
DG Panga said, “With the current global trade volatilities and uncertainty in the supply chain, we have been receiving more queries about the Philippines and even welcoming several inbound delegations exploring investment opportunities within the ecozones. We are bullish that more investors will look at the Philippines for the expansion or even transfer of their offshore operations in the coming months.”
With these, PEZA remains committed to strengthening its investment attraction and facilitation initiatives and in enhancing ease of doing business within the zones to provide for the best business ecosystem for both new and upcoming investors.
