The Bicol Region is drawing investment interest across information technology and business process management (IT-BPM), electronics assembly and resource-based manufacturing, as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) seeks to broaden industrial activity beyond the country’s established economic centers.
PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said IT-BPM firm Inspiro, which employs more than 12,000 workers nationwide, is evaluating Naga City for expansion, citing its skilled workforce, competitive operating costs and improving technology infrastructure.
Naga already hosts IBM, Concentrix, ProbeCX and Quantrics, which together employ more than 4,000 workers, providing an existing base of industry talent and operations that could support further growth.
In Pili, Camarines Sur, Allied Corporation Asia Pacific, in collaboration with Google, plans to establish a 5,000-square-meter Chromebook assembly facility. The proposed plant would initially produce 100,000 laptops monthly, with capacity potentially doubling to 200,000 units.
A prospective American-Indian investor is also exploring an activated carbon manufacturing project using coconut shells at the proposed Bicol Region Economic Zone (BREZ) in Libon, Albay. The project could create an industrial outlet for locally available agricultural resources, although its realization remains uncertain.
PEZA is pursuing additional opportunities in data centers, sustainable aviation fuel, food processing, automotive wiring harnesses, aquaculture and industrial utilities, signaling an effort to develop a broader regional investment base.
However, converting these leads into operating facilities will depend on investment decisions, infrastructure readiness and regulatory clearances. BREZ, envisioned as PEZA’s fifth public economic zone, still requires government approvals and a presidential proclamation.
Its proximity to Pantao Port, which is being positioned for expansion, could strengthen export logistics if the necessary port and industrial infrastructure materialize.
PEZA has also signed an agreement with the Naga City government to establish an extension office to facilitate investor services.
“Our objective is to convert these investment leads into actual projects that will generate quality employment opportunities for Bicolanos,” Panga said.
For Bicol, the immediate challenge is turning investor interest into funded projects, sustained employment and lasting regional economic gains.
