THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) has exceeded its full-year investment target with two months left in 2026, but said sustaining the pace will depend on helping businesses navigate rising costs and economic uncertainty.
Peza approved P309.629 billion in investments from January to October, up 76.56 percent from P175.365 billion in the same period last year and above its P300-billion target for the year.
The agency is now poised to surpass its previous annual investment record of P311.9 billion, set in 2012, as it said it continues to receive inquiries from prospective investors.
‘While we have exceeded our target, we recognize that businesses continue to face cost pressures and economic uncertainties,’ Peza Director General Tereso Panga said in a statement.
From January to October, Peza’s board approved 240 new and expansion projects expected to generate $9.124 billion in exports and create 38,815 direct jobs.
The projects cover export manufacturing, information technology and business process management, facilities, economic zone development, logistics, domestic-market enterprises, utilities and tourism.
Among the leading sources of foreign investment in Philippine economic zones were Taiwan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia.
On the other hand, in October alone, Peza approved 18 new and expansion projects worth P12.487 billion. These are expected to generate $178.203 million in exports and create 5,484 direct jobs.
Of the projects approved that month, 15 are located in Luzon: six in the National Capital Region, eight in Calabarzon and one in Central Luzon. The remaining three are in the Visayas, with two in Cebu and one in Iloilo.
‘Our priority now is to sustain this momentum and help translate these investment commitments into actual operations, more exports, and high-value employment for Filipinos,’ Panga said.