The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reported that to date, the agency has registered more than P30 billion worth of investments from 37 German-owned projects with over 20,000 direct jobs in various ecozones in the country.
PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga said after concluding a week-long investment mission to Germany last May 13-17 as part of its aggressive investment promotion efforts. The PEZA mission coincided with the IFAT Munich 2024, which is a bi-annual event showcasing the biggest and most modern environmental technologies available in the market.
“The mission aimed to touch base and understand the latest trends in the country and European region. This also served as our follow-through on the recent visits of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Germany, with the goal of increasing the presence of German investments in the country,” reported Panga.
He said that it is worth noting that to date, PEZA is home to about 37 locator companies with German equity located within the zones. These registered business enterprises generate more than P30 billion in investments and create above 20,000 direct jobs for Filipinos.
During the mission, Panga met with the Bayerischen Staatsministeriums für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz (Bavarian State Ministry for Environment and Consumer Protection) and the German Water Partnership where the discussion revolved around water treatment and storage mechanisms and possible solutions and technologies that may be implemented in the ecozones.
“Our collaboration with Germany is important as we get a better sense of the German's appreciation of the Best Available Technology (BAT) and how it applies to the management of our zones especially as we increase the adoption of eco-industrial, sustainable development, and circular economy frameworks,” he said.
At IFAT, PEZA engaged in several business-to-business meetings and site visits with well-known German companies who are interested in doing business in the Philippines.
PEZA was able to meet with the officials of a known German firm manufacturing automotive safety sensors among other products in their Philippine operations wherein they mentioned their plans to expand its operations in the country in the future given the ongoing testing of their new products.
One of the world’s largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electric components that are essential to innovative designs across several industries such as automotive, industrial, computing, military, aerospace, and medical markets also discussed with PEZA plans to expand its operations in the Philippines to cater to their new products.
Moreover, PEZA was able to secure a meeting with one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies that is into life sciences, healthcare, and electronics; one of the world’s leading car makers headquartered in Germany; and a company into pharma laboratory and medical equipment calibration, which is now preparing its application with PEZA.
The Director General said, “We are excited to announce the identities of these companies once they file their application with PEZA.”
With the assistance of GPCCI, PEZA was able to meet with several companies into wastewater treatment and watering solutions for manufacturing and agro-processing, which are helpful to locator companies’ compliance with the SDG and circular economy frameworks.
Among the exhibitors visited by PEZA, the team met with the world’s largest producer of Silicon Carbide membranes, considered a pioneering technology in filtration and wastewater treatment. This company is owned by a major stockholder of one of the world's top car makers.
They will be investing in the ecozones initially to provide waste-water treatment facility using nano-filtration technology following the success of their engagement with a leading electronics company in the company. They are open to manufacturing their filtration equipment for supply to the domestic and ASEAN markets.
For the said mission, PEZA partnered with several credible groups such as the German Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Berlin, and the Asian Consulting Group through Mr. Ramon Abrea to invite more German investments into the Philippine economic zones.