Pasay City — The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry–Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB), Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) Sydney, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (HIMAP), organized the Philippine Pavilion at the Digital Health Festival 2026 in Melbourne, Australia.
The Philippine delegation at the Digital Health Festival 2026 in Australia
The Philippine delegation featured eight participating companies, namely Advanced World Solutions, Inc.; Pointwest Technologies Corp.; Visaya KPO Corp.; ADEC Innovation Healthcare Inc.; Genfinity; ISSI Corp.; iQor; and Kreatix Digital Inc. Of these companies, Advanced World Solutions, Pointwest Technologies, and Visaya KPO are PEZA-registered business enterprises.
As part of the mission, PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga served as speaker and panelist in several business forums aimed at positioning the Philippines as a strategic partner for Australia and New Zealand in digital health, IT-BPM, outsourcing, manufacturing, and other high-value services.
Among the major engagements were the Australia Philippines Business Council Technology Forum in Sydney, attended by around 60 participants; the Digital Health Festival Country Spotlight in Melbourne, where Director General Panga discussed “Digital Health in Action: Cost-Effective Models for Scaling Workforce, Innovation and Better Care” before more than 80 participants; and the Philippine–Australia Business and Investment Forum in Melbourne, attended by more than 50 participants.
PEZA also joined business forums in New Zealand, including the ANZ Bank Forum at the ANZ Centre in Auckland, attended by around 50 participants, and the Bank of New Zealand forum, which gathered around 70 participants.
Philippine-ANZ Business Forums conducted in Australia and New Zealand
The mission came at a time of stronger economic engagement between the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. Australia and the Philippines elevated their relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2023, while Australia’s “Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040” provides a roadmap to deepen trade and investment with Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.
PEZA said the mission also builds on regional trade frameworks such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which supports improved market access, trade in goods and services, investment, e-commerce, economic cooperation, and other areas of regional integration. These platforms, together with ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand cooperation, provide the Philippines with greater opportunities to attract investments in digital services, manufacturing, logistics, food processing, agribusiness, and green industries.
New Zealand also continues to present strong opportunities for Philippine trade and investment promotion. New Zealand-Philippines two-way trade reached a record NZ$1.63 billion in the year ending March 2025, while New Zealand has identified the Philippines as an economy expected to double in size between 2023 and 2033 and become a top 20 global economy by 2050.
PEZA recognized the strong support extended to the mission by the Philippine Consulate General in Melbourne, led by Consul General Jesus “Gary” Domingo, and the Philippine Embassy in Wellington, led by Ambassador Kira Christianne D. Azucena.
PEZA also acknowledged the assistance of the Philippine Honorary Consulates in New Zealand, particularly Mr. Randell Oneal M. Mendoza, Vice Consul, ad honorem, and Mr. Geoffrey Neil Baldwin, Vice Consul, ad honorem, of the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Auckland; and Ms. Nicole Stephanie Macaballug, Consul, ad honorem, of the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Christchurch.
PEZA further thanked New Zealand Member of Parliament Paulo Garcia, who previously served as PEZA Corporate Secretary; PTIC Sydney Commercial Counsellor Emmanuel Ang; Australia-Philippine Business Council President Rafael Toda; New Zealand-Philippine Business Council Vice Chair Atty. Bradley So; IBPAP President and CEO Jack Madrid; and HIMAP Vice President Julian Valenzuela for their support in advancing the Philippines’ investment promotion efforts in the Australian and New Zealand markets.
On the sidelines of the mission, PEZA held meetings with several Australian and New Zealand companies exploring expansion, outsourcing, manufacturing, and partnership opportunities in the Philippines.
B2B meetings with several Australian and Kiwi companies
These included Appen Butler Hill Pty Ltd., an AI training support services company engaged in image labeling and annotation for automated image classification systems. The company reported that it has grown its Philippine operations from 700 employees in 2007 to more than 2,500 employees, with a PHP 140-million investment in the country. Appen also shared plans to generate more than 1,100 new jobs in the Philippines due to strong demand for its services.
PEZA also met with Cloudstaff Pty Ltd., operating in the Philippines as CS Global, which is engaged in business process outsourcing and outsourced professional support services. The company has more than 7,500 employees in the Philippines and operates several sites registered under both PEZA and the Board of Investments.
Another meeting was held with A.S. White, which is engaged in premium IT services, software development, and accounting support services. The company has been operating in E-Square IT Park in Taguig City since 2016, starting with 263 employees and growing to 1,308 employees. It is projecting steady growth of more than 300 new jobs per year in the next few years and is also interested in expanding to new wave cities in the Philippines.
PEZA likewise met with the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA), which has 10,799 members. The association discussed the challenges faced by financial advisers in Australia and the role that the Philippine outsourcing industry can play in complementing the sector, particularly in financial planning support and related professional services. The group is set to conduct a study tour in Cebu in August 2026, with PEZA expected to assist in coordinating its requirements.
Other companies and organizations met by PEZA included First Pacific Capital Underwriters Pty Ltd., which has Philippines-based projects involving advanced plastic recycling and vanadium flow battery systems; AMSL Aero, which is engaged in the design and development of hydrogen-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft; Matchboard, which specializes in consulting services for Australian businesses looking at the Philippines; and Haute Kitchens, which is considering the Philippines as a possible manufacturing site.
PEZA also met with MusoLingo, developer of an AI-driven language learning platform that uses music, singing, and real-time voice feedback to improve language fluency, as well as Plentex, which is pursuing a Western Samar aquaculture and depurated mussel production project for domestic and export markets.
In New Zealand, PEZA met with WaHiki, a producer of dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan coconut-based ice cream and yoghurt products, which is currently exploring collaboration with Philippine-based firms.
PEZA also noted two additional New Zealand-based companies that expressed interest in the Philippines, particularly in dairy processing and tourism-oriented retirement estates. The Philippine delegation received a warm reception from New Zealand business stakeholders, reflecting the strong potential for broader economic cooperation between the Philippines and New Zealand.
As part of its Australia leg, PEZA also joined a visit to the Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), a subsidiary of global ports operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) under Enrique K. Razon Jr. Located at Webb Dock East in the Port of Melbourne, VICT is considered Australia’s first fully automated container terminal and one of the most technologically advanced container terminals in the world.
PEZA said the visit reinforced the importance of modern logistics infrastructure in supporting export-oriented industries and globally connected economic zones. The activity also followed PEZA’s 2025 visit to ICTSI’s Baltic Container Terminal at the Port of Gdynia in Poland, underscoring the agency’s continuing engagement with global logistics operators that can support trade, supply chain efficiency, and ecozone competitiveness.
Director General Panga said the mission was an opportunity to spread greater awareness that the Philippines, through PEZA, has much to offer foreign investors looking for a competitive, scalable, and service-oriented location in the region.
DG Panga discussing the Philippines’ advantage as an investment hub and the PEZA business ecosystem
“Through this mission, we wanted to show our Australian and New Zealand partners that the Philippines is not only a cost-effective destination, but a strategic partner that understands their business needs, work culture, and service expectations,” Panga said.
“Our people’s strong English proficiency, adaptability, professionalism, and natural warmth fit very well with the business culture of Australia and New Zealand. Through PEZA, we are ready to provide the right ecosystem, support, and handholding needed for investors to grow and succeed in the Philippines,” he added.
As of 2025, there are 91 Australian companies registered with PEZA, infusing more than PhP 19 billion in investments and employing over 40,000 Filipinos. ###