Peza aims to open 30 new ecozones in 2026
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) wants to have 30 new ecozones in 2026, as it seeks to expand investment hubs across the country, particularly in rural areas.
Nearly half of that target could be achieved as early as January, when Peza expects President Marcos to proclaim as many as 14 new ecozones.
The agency had initially expected a similar number of ecozones to be approved by the end of this year, but the timeline was pushed back, leaving Peza short of its earlier goal of approving 30 new ecozones in 2025.
In an interview with reporters, Peza Director General Tereso Panga said the agency remains focused on establishing ecozones in less developed areas of the country.
“You can only attract investments when there are new locations for them, and we’re trying to locate in new growth areas, in rural areas,” Panga said on the sidelines of Peza’s Investors’ Recognition Night.
New ecozones in Bicol, Palawan
In his speech at the event, Panga said Peza had opened 35 new ecozones since 2022, or when Mr. Marcos took office. Eleven ecozones were proclaimed in 2023, followed by 16 in 2024.
Ecozones are created through presidential proclamations upon Peza’s recommendation. These are designated areas that are already developed or have the potential to be transformed into agro-industrial, industrial tourist or recreational, commercial, banking, investment and financial centers.
Among the new public ecozones Peza is targeting for opening next year are sites in Palawan and the Bicol Region.
The Palawan Mega Economic Zone (PMEZ) has already drawn investor interest, with firms looking to locate within the expansive 28,000-hectare site. Peza described this as “the country’s next landmark ecozone and Peza’s first mega-scale government-led eco-industrial township.”
Investors lining up for the PMEZ include Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group, a Taiwanese aqua farm operator, a Peruvian company managing the Stevia brand, a local coconut exporter and a power generation firm.
The PMEZ is expected to begin operations by mid-2026. In November, Peza signed a joint memorandum circular with the Bureau of Corrections to transfer 4,000 hectares previously used by the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm.
Once operational, the new ecozones are expected to bolster Peza’s investment performance, which stood at a record P237.10 billion across 307 projects approved in 2025, based on data as of Dec. 12.
