The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said Tuesday it approved P63.52 billion worth of investments from January to April 2025, more than doubling the P29.95 billion recorded in the same period last year.
PEZA said the surge, equivalent to a 112-percent increase, showed renewed investor confidence and sustained momentum in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, despite persistent global economic challenges.
“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 PEZA director-general Tereso Panga.
The latest statistics showed that the 86 approved new and expansion projects are projected to generate 24,920 direct jobs and $846.73 million in exports, with seven of these classified as big-ticket projects valued at P49.81 billion.
The PEZA board greenlit 20 of these projects during its April 23, 2025 meeting in Baguio City. With combined costs of P4.575 billion, the projects are expected to create more than 9,000 jobs and bring in over $300 million in exports.
Manufacturing remained the top investment driver with 31 approved projects, followed by IT-BPM with 29, eight domestic-oriented enterprises, seven ecozone developments, seven facilities and fourth utilities projects.
The largest share of projects went to Region IV with a share of 40, followed by Metro Manila and Region VII with 13 each and Region III with 12.
South Korea led all foreign investors with P10.45 billion in committed capital, followed by the United States with P2.52 billion, China with P2.16 billion, Japan with P1.65 billion, Hong Kong with P1.13 billion and Singapore with P1.09 billion.
PEZA attributed South Korea’s strong showing to the Philippines’ newly signed free trade agreement with Seoul and growing interest from global firms aligned with regional shifts under the China+2 strategy.
“With the current global trade volatilities and uncertainty in the supply chain, we have been receiving more queries about the Philippines. 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,” Panga said.
PEZA said it would continue strengthening investment attraction strategies and enhancing ease of doing business to position the Philippines as a top destination for sustainable and strategic investments.
