BOI approves P1.56 trillion investments in 2025, misses target

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January 5, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Investments approved by the Board of Investments (BOI) amounted to P1.56 trillion last year, falling short of the agency’s P1.75 trillion target.

In a statement yesterday, Trade Secretary and BOI chair Cristina Roque said that the investment promotion agency approved a total of P1.56 trillion worth of investments last year, down by four percent from the record-high P1.62 trillion approved in 2024.

The approved investments in 2025 are for 322 projects and are expected to generate 40,175 jobs nationwide.

Despite missing last year’s investment approvals goal and declining from 2024’s level, the BOI said last year’s performance is the second consecutive year investments breached P1.5 trillion. It is also the second-highest level of investment approvals in the agency’s 58-year history.

Roque said the BOI was actively assessing a number of big-ticket projects in the pipeline even through the very last days of 2025.

“Unfortunately, we need more time to complete the evaluation process especially as these precisely are large-scale and very strategic projects,” she said.

To ensure projects are technically sound, compliant with regulatory requirements and align with the country’s long-term development goals, the BOI follows a thorough evaluation process.

Of the total approved investments, P1.41 trillion came from local firms, while P149.45 billion were from foreign sources.

Singapore was the top source of foreign investments approved by the BOI last year with P80.37 billion worth of investments.

This was followed by the Netherlands with P33.29 billion, Thailand with P7.75 billion, the United States with P6.91 billion and Switzerland with P4.33 billion.

The energy sector accounted for the bulk of investment approvals last year amounting to P970.09 billion, reflecting sustained momentum in power generation and related infrastructure projects.

Mass housing placed second with P241.65 billion worth of investments, while transportation and storage came in third with P230.06 billion.

Completing the top five sectors were manufacturing with P62.16 billion and information and communication at P26.56 billion.

In terms of location, the National Capital Region emerged as the leading investment destination last year with P383.71 billion in approved investments.

The Cordillera Administrative Region ranked second with P373.39 billion, followed by Calabarzon with P257.83 billion, Bicol Region with P123.61 billion and Central Luzon with P105.13 billion in approved investments.

“Breaching the P1.5 trillion mark for two consecutive years and posting the second-highest investment approvals in BOI’s 58-year history highlights the Philippines’ growing competitiveness and the sustained trust of both local and foreign investors,” Roque said.