Ecozone exports up 28% in Q1

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reported yesterday that export earnings of special economic zones reached $7.18 billion from January to March this year, an increase of almost 28.17 percent from $5.602 billion a year ago.

The higher export earnings was primarily from electronic companies operating within the ecozones.

The Top 10 electronic companies located in the econzones include Texas Instruments, Toshiba Information Equipment Phils. Inc., Intel Technology Philippines Inc., Fujitsu Computer Products Phils. Inc., Amkor Technologies, Phillips Semiconductor, Epson Precision Phils. Inc., Samsung Electronics Phils. Mfg. Inc., Panasonic Mobile Communications Corp. of the Philippines and lonics EMS Inc.

There are 47 privately-owned and operated ecozones while only four are controlled by the government.

The four government-controlled ecozones are located in Baguio, Mactan, Cavite and Bataan.

The four public ecozones generated $1.675 billion in exports, a growth of just under one percent from the $1.658 billion in exports in the first quarter of 2003.

The 47 private special ecozones, thus, generated the bulk of the exports amounting to $5.505 billion for a growth of almost 40 percent compared to the exports of $3.943 billion in the first quarter of 2003.

The PEZA also reported that in terms of employment generation, the public and special ecozones has generated cumulative employment 967,085 workers.

However, of the 967,085 jobs created, 386,834 workers are directly employed in the ecozones, while the majority of 580,251 workers are indirectly employed by suppliers and support services of the ecozone locators.

For the whole of last year, export earnings of locators in the ecozones amounted to $27.33 billion.

In 2002, export earnings of the PEZA locators amounted to $22.77 billion.

In 2001, the export earnings of the ecozones was $19.5 billion.