PEZA: Visayas to benefit from P140.7B record-breaking investment haul

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Economic Zone Authority’s (Peza) record-breaking investment haul in the first half of 2026 is poised to ripple outward to the regions, with Central Visayas among the areas flagged to receive new economic zone projects approved in June.

PEZA approved 157 new and expansion projects worth ₱140.688 billion from January to June 2026, nearly double the ₱72.362 billion logged in the same period last year, the bureau reported.

READ: Ecozone investments jumped 94% in H1

The surge comes as the Philippines repositions itself to capture investment flows being redirected by global companies reconfiguring their supply chains away from costlier or riskier markets.

Meanwhile, June board approvals, consisting of 22 projects worth ₱15.851 billion in total, include Central Visayas as a destination, alongside Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Central Luzon, Davao, and CARAGA.

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According to Peza, the geographic spread reflects a deliberate push toward more balanced regional development, moving investment activity beyond its traditional Metro Manila-CALABARZON concentration.

Investor mix

The Netherlands emerged as the top source country for the first half of 2026 approvals, followed by South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, and Japan.

Overall, Peza-approved projects during the first six months of this year are projected to create 23,140 direct jobs nationwide and generate US$3.367 billion in exports.

This translates to a 167.46 percent year-on-year jump.

Even a proportional slice of those jobs landing in Central Visayas would provide a meaningful boost to local employment, particularly in higher-wage manufacturing and services roles.

READ: Cebu lands major factory investment as Peza approvals soar in May

PEZA Director General Tereso Panga has signaled that converting the investor pipeline into actual projects remained the core objective.

“PEZA will continue to translate investor confidence into concrete outcomes — more exports, more jobs, stronger industries,” he said.

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