Peza eyes 60,000 to 80,000 more jobs in ecozones this year

FILE PHOTO: Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) Director General Tereso Panga says in an interview with Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon on Thursday, October 10, 2024, the Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) currently has an additional 35,871 jobs in ecozones nationwide from January to September this year. A recent addition to job generation is the 4,000 fresh positions to be opened from 16 newly approved projects on September 23. Peza is aiming to add 60,000 to 80,000 jobs this year within its ecozones nationwide.  CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) is aiming to add 60,000 to 80,000 jobs this year within its ecozones nationwide.

In an interview with Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon on Thursday, Peza Director General Tereso Panga said the Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) currently has an additional 35,871 jobs in ecozones nationwide from January to September this year.

A recent addition to job generation is the 4,000 fresh positions to be opened from 16 newly approved projects on Sept. 23.

“So, our ecozone development is pretty much scattered to rural areas and new growth areas although most of it is still in Calabarzon —we have 11 projects there. But we can see that we have two in Cebu, there are also in NCR (National Capital Region) and we have [in] Pampanga in Central Luzon,” Panga said.

READ: ₱62-B investments cleared by Peza in first 8 months

Panga remains optimistic that the IPA will hit its P200-billion investment approvals for the full year of 2024.

As of last month, Peza approved a total of P115.89 billion worth of projects.

These projects will boost Philippine exports by another US$2.51 billion.

“Towards end of the quarter, historically, we can expect a surge in investments. We’re still bullish that we’ll be able to achieve our P200-billion target for the year,” Panga said. (PNA)