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The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has moved more than
over 10-billion peso worth of investments in the first two weeks of
March.
In a data released by PEZA, investment pledges
made to the agency grew by 169 percent or a total of P11.548 billion
from last year’s P4.294 billion.
These investments project 11, 792 job
opportunities and export sales of $897 million, or an increase of 73
percent over the same period last year.
On the other hand, exports made in the first two
months of the year stood at $6.793 billion.
Most of the new investments will be infused into
the information technology sector, particularly in the expansion
projects of registered IT enterprises, while the remaining
investments will be allotted to the export sector, the agency said.
Lilia de Lima, PEZA director general, said in an
interview that the agency expects to attract more investors this
year since support industries are starting to pour in more money.
She cited the recent announcement of Linde Group
of Germany to invest over a billion pesos for its air separation
plant in Laguna and Cebu, through its subsidiary Consolidated
Industries Gas Inc.
Further, she said that CIGI, which provides
industrial gases for electronics, semiconductor, mining, steel
making and ship building industries, is set to convince investors in
these sectors to invest in the country.
“They need not have to look for these kinds of
resources for [their] operations,” de Lima said.
-- Katrina Mennen A. Valdez
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