Marcos Lifts Ban on New Metro Manila Ecozones, Boosting Business Expansion

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed an administrative order lifting a ban on the establishment of new economic zones (ecozones) in Metro Manila, a policy from the previous Duterte administration. This move is expected to further open up business expansion opportunities in the capital, particularly for the information and communication technology (ICT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) sectors. The new order supersedes Administrative Order No. 18, issued in 2019 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte, which directed the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to stop accepting, processing, and evaluating applications for new ecozones in Metro Manila, with the aim of encouraging investments to locate in the provinces. Trade Secretary Cristina Roque confirmed the development in a message to the Inquirer. Both Secretary Roque and Finance Secretary Frederick Go had endorsed the lifting of the moratorium in June. Businesses seeking PEZA incentives generally need to operate within PEZA-accredited buildings. As such, the availability of accredited office space is a factor in deciding where to invest and expand. In his fifth and penultimate State of the Nation Address on Monday, Marcos described ecozones as sites that “lay down the fertile groundwork that brings these investments into actual fruition,” noting that such zones have expanded beyond Metro Manila to areas such as Dumaguete and Misamis Oriental.