Tereso O. Panga

Tereso O. Panga—known as “Theo” in PEZA and industry circles—was appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as the first homegrown Director General of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) on 23 March 2023.

He began his career in PEZA in 1998 as a Planning Officer III and steadily rose through the ranks, serving as Deputy Director General for Policy and Planning from 2010 until his appointment as Director General. Over the years, he has led key initiatives in policy and planning, ecozone development, digital transformation, special programs and projects, and eco-industrial efforts.

Theo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature (1991) and a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations (2000), both from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He also completed an executive course in Urban, Industrial, and Environmental Management at the National University of Singapore in 2009. He was a Top 10 National Finalist in the 2015 Presidential Gawad Career Executive Service Awards, which recognizes outstanding career officials in government.

In 2020, he received the Best Policy Foresight Paper award under the Executive Course on Leadership, Innovation, Communication, and Knowledge Management (CLICK) by the Development Academy of the Philippines. In 2023, he was honored as a Heroes’ Outstanding Leader in Economic Development by Asia’s Modern Hero Awards Council. In 2024, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by the University of the Philippines.