The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) posted a sharp rise in investment approvals in the first five months of 2026, driven by a wave of export-oriented and technology-intensive projects that reinforced the country’s position as a regional manufacturing and investment hub.
From January to May, PEZA approved 135 new and expansion projects worth P124.84 billion, up 88 percent from P66.34 billion in the same period last year. The approved ventures are expected to generate USD2.97 billion in exports—almost three times the USD1.09 billion projected a year earlier.
PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said the strong performance reflects sustained investor confidence in the Philippines despite continuing global economic headwinds.
“Our robust investment growth and the near tripling of projected exports demonstrate that investors continue to see the Philippines as a strategic location for business expansion,” Panga said.
The momentum accelerated in May, when the PEZA Board approved 31 projects worth P15.41 billion, a 447-percent jump from the P2.82 billion recorded in the same month in 2025. These projects are expected to generate USD364.73 million in exports, up 48 percent year-on-year.
Among the key approvals were three major export manufacturing projects in Pampanga, Laguna, and Cebu with combined investments exceeding P11 billion. PEZA said the projects will help expand the country’s manufacturing capacity, strengthen export competitiveness, and deepen participation in regional and global supply chains.
Although projected employment generation reached 20,012 jobs, slightly below the 22,337 jobs recorded a year earlier, PEZA noted that its investment pipeline is increasingly dominated by capital-intensive and high-technology ventures that typically create greater productivity gains and higher-value economic output.
The latest approvals were backed by investors from the Netherlands, South Korea, Indonesia, Germany, Japan, and Singapore, highlighting continued foreign interest in the country’s economic zones.
With a growing pipeline of strategic investments and export-focused projects, PEZA expects approvals and export commitments to remain on an upward trajectory in the coming months, supporting the government’s broader push to attract quality investments and accelerate industrial growth.
