Investments and employment opportunities in the agriculture and industry sectors, among others, are seen to be bolstered by the amended Investors’ Lease Act, which extends the lease of private lands to up to 99 years.

Republic Act (RA) 12252, which was signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sept. 3, 2025, is an amendment of the 1993 law Investors’ Lease Act, otherwise known as RA 7652, that allowed for a 50-year term, renewable once for up to 25 years.

The new law states that it provides for “a flexible and dynamic policy” to allow foreign investors to establish “industrial estates, factories, assembly or processing plants, agro-industrial enterprises, land development for industrial or commercial use, tourism, agriculture, agro-forestry, ecological conservation, and other similar priority productive endeavors.”

It, however, stressed that only investors who have approved and registered investments under the Foreign Investments Act, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act, the CREATE More Act, and similar measures are qualified for the longer-term lease.

It also requires the lease contracts to be registered with the Registry of Deeds where the property is located.

Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go said the new law “is a catalyst for agriculture, industrialization, technology transfer, and investment-led growth.”

“We have been uncompetitive relative to regional peers for too long because of short-term land leases and land ownership restrictions. This law opens doors for sustainable, long-term investments and affirms that the Philippines is ready to compete globally,” he said in a statement.

“It will help create quality jobs and better opportunities for Filipinos.” (PNA)