MANILA – The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) continues to market the country as an investment destination for foreign investors even amid the global health crisis.
In a phone interview Friday, PEZA Director General Charito Plaza said the investment promotion agency is partnering with different foreign chambers for virtual investment conferences to present investment opportunities in the Philippines.
Early this month, PEZA conducted its first virtual investment conferences with Qatari investors.
Plaza has invited Qatar-based companies to look into investment opportunities here in sectors of economic zone development, manufacturing of renewable energy equipment, defense and military industry, and mining, among others.
“Before, we conducted roadshows abroad. But right now with the Covid-19 pandemic, we have to continue our marketing programs. We are doing this through our investment forum partners abroad,” she said.
Qatar ranks as the 38th market for Philippine exports valued at USD55.19 million in 2019.
Meanwhile, Philippine imports from Qatar amounted to USD147.99 million in the same year.
Plaza added PEZA is now working with its investment partners, particularly in Japan, China, Europe, and the United States to schedule a virtual conference with potential investors.
Last July 10, PEZA approved PHP22.5 billion worth of investments from 50 projects.
About 56 percent of the total investments were from foreign sources mostly from Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, and the United States.
As the Covid-19 pandemic has brought many Filipinos to lose their jobs, including overseas Filipino workers, PEZA is launching its Development Outreach for Labor, Livelihood, and Advancement of Resources, or the DOLLAR program.
The DOLLAR program aims to create job opportunities for Filipinos by linking them to PEZA locators nationwide.
Plaza earlier said PEZA targets to offer about 100,000 jobs under the program. (with reports from Ashraf Siddiqi/PNA)