PEZA exports up 11.2% to $19.651B in Jan-July

The Philippine Export Zone Authority (PEZA) reported yesterday that exports from PEZA-registered special economic zones reached $19.651 billion in the first seven months of the year, 11.252 percent higher than the $17.663 billion recorded in the same period last year.

The bulk of the exports came from the 40 private ecozone locators.

Exports from the private ecozones from January to July this year amounted to $14.669 billion, increasing 8.675 percent from the $13.498 billion posted last year.

The four public ecozones were able to export $4.494 billion worth of goods for the seven-month period, increasing 12.956 percent from $3.978 billion a year ago.

The 30 PEZA-registered IT buildings and IT parks, for their part, posted $487.827 million in export of services from January to July this year, increasing 161.089 percent from only $186.843 million a year ago.

The top 10 PEZA-registered export producers for the period January to July this year are Intel Technology Philippines Inc., Texas Instruments Philippines Inc., Amkor Technology Philippines (with two separate locations), Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. (PASAR), Fujitsu Computer Products Corp. of the Philippines, Cypress Manufacturing Ltd., Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines) Inc., Panasonic Communications Corp. of the Philippines and American Power Conversion Corporation B.V.

PEZA had earlier reported that locator investments in the special economic zones from Jan. 1 to June 27 this year increased 13.06 percent to P25.917 billion from the comparable P22.287-billion investments recorded in the same period last year.

In a report to Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B. Favila, PEZA Director General Lilia B. de Lima said that the expected annual average direct employment to be generated by the investments is 45,772 jobs, a 38.33-percent increase from last year’s 33,088 jobs.

Investments in the information and technology sector, De Lima reported, amounted to P4.478 billion for the period in review.

The P4.478-billion investments in the IT sector, De Lima said, is 56.56 percent higher than the P2.861 billion invested in the IT sector for the comparable six-month period last year.

The projected average direct employment expected to be generated from the approved IT projects is 21,844 new jobs, which is 76.45 percent more than the 12,380 jobs generated by IT investors in the first six months of 2005.

De Lima attributes the continued inflow of investments to the special economic zones to the perks investors enjoy including duty-free importation of capital equipment and raw materials.