ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider Global giants line up for Palawan mega ecozone, PEZA eyes 480,000 jobs

Global giants line up for Palawan mega ecozone, PEZA eyes 480,000 jobs

Published Nov 22, 2025 05:15 pm
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said multiple foreign companies are already looking at potential investments in Palawan Mega Ecozone (PMEZ), which is still awaiting presidential proclamation to commence development.
In a statement, PEZA said it is in talks with prospective investors for the PMEZ, expected to be the country's largest ecozone to date.
PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said the PMEZ has been drawing strong interest from companies with complete supply chains, reflecting the ecozone’s strong growth potential, especially for exports.
“There is much interest in the PMEZ and when we will have it operationalized. I have already received queries on this and interests to invest as developers and locators,” said Panga.
According to PEZA, Thailand-based conglomerate Charoen Pokphand, with businesses spanning agriculture, food, retail, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, finance, and banking, is among those interested in investing in the ecozone.
It also cited a Taiwanese aqua farm operator and a Peruvian company known for its global Stevia brand as potential investors.
Locally, the agency said a domestic exporter of coconut-based products and a power generation company have also signaled intent to locate in PMEZ.
“I firmly believe that PMEZ will become a magnet for new investments, housing locators with complete supply chains and linking this to our broader regional commitments,” Panga said.
PMEZ is seen as revitalizing the country’s trade activities within Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
Last month, Panga said the PMEZ may receive its presidential proclamation next year.
Ecozones and the benefits they provide to developers and locators are only established once proclaimed by the president.
In the first half, President Marcos approved four ecozones.
PMEZ is a joint undertaking between PEZA and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), which oversees the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, where 28,000 hectares will be allotted to the ecozone.
Both agencies signed a joint memorandum circular on Thursday, Nov. 20, to formalize the transfer of the exclusive use and possession of an initial 4,000 hectares for ecozone development.
The PEZA said it envisions the ecozone strengthening domestic production, deepening intersectoral linkages, and creating quality jobs for surrounding communities.
PMEZ is seen to employ up to 480,000 direct jobs.
“PMEZ is set to rise as a new gateway for investments—strengthening Palawan’s growth story and further positioning the Philippines as a competitive and viable investment destination in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region,” said PEZA.
With its proclamation next year, the agency said the country’s hosting of the ASEAN Summit would serve as a platform to highlight PMEZ’s strategic value.
PEZA investment approvals surged by 42 percent to ₱175.37 billion from January to October compared to ₱123.76 billion in the same period last year.
These investments cover 243 new and expansion projects, expected to generate $6.08 billion in export sales and create nearly 60,000 jobs.

Related Tags

Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Palawan ecozone
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.