Special ecozones post 33% export growth

Export earnings from special economic zone amounted to $9.955 billion in the first four months of the year, up by a strong 32.85 percent from the $7.493 billion recorded a year earlier, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reported yesterday.

PEZA attributed the strong performance from the increase in earnings of electronic firms operating within the ecozones.

The Top 10 electronic companies located in the ecozones include Texas Instruments, Toshiba Information Equipment Phils. Inc., Intel Technology Philippines Inc., Fujitsu Computer Products Phils. Inc., Amkor Technologies, Philips Semiconductor, Epson Precision Phils. Inc., Samsung Electronics Phils. Mfg. Inc., Panasonic Mobile Communications Corp. of the Philippines and Ionics EMS Inc.

Based on PEZA records, there are 35 private ecozones and four public ecozones.

The PEZA has separately classified IT (information technology) buildings and parks of which there are 14.

The four government-controlled ecozones are located in Baguio, Mactan, Cavite and Bataan.

The four public ecozones generated $2.202 billion in exports, a growth of 7.184 percent from the $2.055 billion in exports in the first four months of 2003.

The 35 private ecozones generated the bulk of the exports amounting to $7.702 billion for a growth of 42.54 percent compared to the exports of $5.403 billion in the first four months of 2003.

The 14 IT buildings and parks generated $50.014 million in exports.

The PEZA also reported that in terms of employment generation, the public and special ecozones has generated cumulative employment 965,927 workers.

However, of the 965,927 jobs created, 386,371 workers are directly employed in the ecozones, while the majority of 579,296 workers are indirectly employed by suppliers and support services of the ecozone locators.

For the whole of last year, export earnings of locators in the ecozones amounted to $27.33 billion.

In 2002, export earnings of the PEZA locators amounted to $22.77 billion up from $19.5 billion a year go.