Projects in electronics manufacturing comprised the bulk of the investment pledges committed to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) in 2015.
The investment-promotion agency garnered 17 projects costing more than P1 billion, Peza Director General Lilia B. de Lima said in an interview. Peza said the 17 projects have total investment commitments amounting to P77.4 billion, of which P51.13 billion will go to electronics manufacturing.
The biggest investment, or P25.15 billion, was committed by a Dutch-American electronics manufacturer.
De Lima said the second-biggest investment pledge worth P15.7 billion came from a Dutch exporter.
The country’s electronics manufacturing sector also attracted investors from Japan, South Korea, and the US. Last year investments obtained by Peza grew by 5.5 percent to P295 billion.
As of November, direct employment from these investments rose by 8.49 percent to 1.25 million jobs.
Last November exports dipped by 0.35 percent to $40.37 billion from $40.51 billion recorded in the same 11-month period in 2014.
De Lima said exports may still improve as three economic zones have yet to submit their report to Peza.