Delay in PEZA approvals to hamper BPO expansion
The continued delay in the approval of applications for Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) accreditation may delay the expansion of the business process outsourcing sector next year. This is according to real estate property consultancy, Colliers International Philippines, who said only six PEZA applications have been approved in the first nine months of this year. In the fourth quarter, there are no approvals as of yet. Of the 78 PEZA IT Center and Park applications, only 36 have been approved since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016. Colliers noted an approval rate of 46%. The firm has urged the government to quicken the approval of PEZA applications. As of the third quarter this year there are 821,742 square meters of office space with pending PEZA applications, 637,630 square meters of which are in Metro Manila. Provincial sites with pending PEZA applications are Bataan, Benguet, Cavite, Cebu, Davao del Sur, Iloilo, Laguna and Negros Occidental.
