The Philippine Economic Zone Authority is stepping up efforts to draw manufacturing investments in traditional hubs, pitching a proposed ecozone in Albay as a potential expansion site for Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Co.
PEZA director-general Tereso O. Panga recently led AG&P executives on a site visit to the planned Bicol Region Economic Zone in Pantao, Libon, as the company evaluates where to locate additional manufacturing capacity in the Philippines.
The visit signals rising investor interest in regional locations as congestion and costs climb in established industrial zones.
AG&P’s delegation, headed by chairman Roberto Juanchito T. Dispo, president Anupam Ahuja, and vice president Sven Herber Eikmeier, included technical teams from India and Germany, highlighting the project’s potential scale.
Local officials, including Libon Mayor Mac Sayson and Polangui Mayor Jesciel Richard Salcedo, backed the proposal, citing expected gains in jobs and local revenues.
PEZA said the Pantao site offers a key logistical edge with an existing provincial port that could support export-oriented operations. The agency added that several locators are already exploring the area, drawn by available land and the prospect of lower operating costs outside Metro Manila and Calabarzon.
“The development of the Bicol Region Economic Zone reflects our push to bring investments to the regions,” Panga said, describing Pantao as a potential gateway for industrial growth in southern Luzon.
Approvals and infrastructure rollout are still pending, but PEZA said it aims to fast-track BREZ’s development as part of a broader strategy to rebalance the country’s manufacturing footprint.
