PEZA to celebrate 26th Anniversary with State of PEZA Address, to build partnerships with BSP and banks for credit facilities for ecozones

February 18, 2021

PEZA to celebrate 26th Anniversary with State of PEZA Address, to build partnerships with BSP and banks for credit facilities for ecozones

18 February 2021 (Thursday)

Pasay City – Continuing to be the top investment promotion agency in the country that manages more than 4,605 registered companies and 410 operating ecozones nationwide amidst the new normal, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is preparing to celebrate its 26th anniversary on February 24, 2021 at its new office location in Pasay.

For the second time, the PEZA Director General will deliver a State of PEZA Address (SOPA) and also jumpstart its monthly Global Biz News with the topic on building partnerships with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and other local and foreign banks to create credit facilities for ecozone developments. Plaza delivered her first State of PEZA Address during the Investor’s Recognition Day last year, December 10, 2020.

“Indeed, PEZA is unstoppable and unrelenting amidst the pandemic. We continue to deliver our mandate for investments, jobs, and exports and see opportunities amidst the challenges for the Filipino people. We share the celebration of PEZA’s 26th anniversary with all the agency’s stakeholders and partners in the export-industry who help to keep our economy afloat and remain competitive in the global market,” said PEZA Director General Charito “Ching” Plaza on Wednesday.

A series of programs are being prepared on February 24th. In the morning from 9:00AM is the “Global Biz with PEZA” which will be forum to discuss creating credit facilities for export-driven enterprises and ecozone developers both in public and private sectors. Meanwhile, in the afternoon from 3:00pm is the “State of PEZA Address” (SOPA) where the Director General shall deliver a message on the performance, vision, programs, and directions of PEZA in the present and coming years.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) are just some of the attendees for the upcoming Global Biz.

“We urge all concerned and interested public to join us in the livestreaming of the PEZA’s 26th Anniversary. It is a platform to learn and enlighten us on PEZA and the Philippine investment climate’s competitive edge, opportunities, and collaborations needed to further propel us to the vision of establishing the Philippines as investment haven in Asia,” said the PEZA Chief.

Galing Pinas Award by PEZA

Meanwhile, part of the program in the afternoon on February 24th after the SOPA is awarding of the recognition to PEZA’s partners in promoting the country's ecozones, competitiveness and making it as a premier investment hub. The “Galing Pinas Ecozone Investment Partnership Award 2021” are going to be conferred in honor of those contributions to PEZA’s programs and mandate.

“Under PEZA’s Galing Pinas Awards, we have selected Ka-PIPPs partners which meant members of PEZA Investment Promotion Partners, industry associations, companies and personalities who had worked with PEZA as the top investment promotion agency in the Philippines along with the citations from the World Bank, IFC, and US Department of State among others,” said the Plaza.

#GalingPinas represents PEZA’s slogan that meant "Made in the Philippines is the best! and the Philippines is best to invest in!”

Leaving Legacy

Meanwhile, the PEZA Chief underlined that in the current political context, “In basketball terms, we are in the last two minutes of our first Mindanaoan President’s term and we need to do our best to deliver for our fellow Filipinos and the Philippines.”

From Plaza’s appointment as the head of PEZA in 2016, PEZA has achieved many milestones and she has proven again her leadership prowess in her more than four years leading PEZA amidst the pandemic and implementing great balancing acts in managing the top investment promotion agency in the country.

Plaza is the second presidential appointee to the position of Director General since PEZA’s creation in 1995 by virtue of Republic Act No. 7916. Duterte appointed Plaza as PEZA Chief and she assumed the role beginning October 4, 2016. She is the co-author of Republic Act No. 7916 also known as “The Special Economic Zone Act of 1995” during her time as Congresswoman.

Since 2016 from the time of Plaza’s appointment to the present, PEZA recorded a total of 680.8 billion pesos of investments, a very significant portion of which comes from the development of new economic zones all over the country.

Under Plaza’s leadership, “PEZA is going beyond the traditional perception that ecozones are primarily or merely just the manufacturing or assembling type. In fact, there are different types of ecozones that can be established in idle lands depending on the viability and apt to the natural resources available in the area.”

Plaza explained that “PEZA can do more in partnership with private developers or public ecozones into developing smart cities or townships within cities. We are helping to build metropolitan areas with the presence of economic zones as the key driver for economic development.”