Investments in the country’s various economic zones went up 110.73 percent while exports soared 109.63 percent in the first four months this year over the same period last year, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reported.

PEZA director general Lilia B. De Lima in a report to Trade and Industry Secretary and PEZA chairman Jesli A. Lapus said that investments in the January-April period this year reached P37.654 million or 110.73 percent or more than double the P17.868 billion investments registered in the same period last year.

The investments represent the combined costs of the 159 projects approved by PEZA in the January-April this year. There were 154 projects approved in the same January-April last year.

Of the approved projects, De Lima said, 133 are new and expansion projects and the remaining 26 are ecozone developers. The 133 locators are investing a total of P28.313 billion while the developers are contributing P9.336 billion.

According to De Lima, the approved projects are expected to generate 30,133 jobs once they become fully operational or 26.81 percent more than the 23,762 jobs to be created from the projects approved in the same period last year. In terms of exports, De Lima said that the 109.63 percent increase would translate to $2.022 billion worth of annual exports for the 159 projects. The 154 projects approved in the same period last year have only projected exports of $964.794 million.

For this year, PEZA is projecting 15 percent increase each in investments and exports and 10 percent jobs over the 2009 figure.