The Philippine Export Zone Authority is tapping all available lands of the government for conversion into economic zones—which with current incentives—would invite big ticket companies to locate in and generate jobs and incomes for the locals.
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority is recommending to the incoming Marcos administration incentives for strategic and big ticket companies to locate in the countryside to attract investors and generate jobs in the rural areas, to stop migration to urban centers.
Although there are already incentives provided under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law, PEZA Director General Charito B. Plaza said they are pursuing a different path by recommending to Marcos Jr. incentives particularly for big-ticket industries locating in the countryside.
Plaza also emphasized that this is in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which PEZA reached with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Agro-forestry
“That’s why we are preparing in this MOU these different public lands suitable for agro-forestry, agro-industrial, ecotourism, mineral processing economic zones,” she pointed out.
Plaza also acknowledged the industry partners present, as they will surely help PEZA in developing these different types of economic zones to attract investors.
“I’m glad that our industry partners are here, [Philippine Economic Zones Association] PHILEA for one, with the president Chito Zaldarriaga because we’re going to invite them to partner with PEZA in developing these different types of economic zones so we can attract different types of investors,” said Plaza.
Plaza added that “this is a very landmark partnership” as she aims to fully utilize the production areas of the DENR across the Philippines.
PEZA recently signed an MOU with DENR to serve as an initial and broad framework of understanding between these agencies to achieve the goal of identifying public lands nationwide that can be harnessed in a sustainable manner to spread ecozones.
Ecozones as drivers of growth in NCR
Plaza said that ecozones are drivers of economic growth outside the National Capital Region (NCR).
Under the MOU, the DENR agrees to provide an inventory of public lands and islands under its jurisdiction to PEZA to explore feasible development of sustainable mineral and agro-forestry processing economic zones, oil depots, refinery ecozones, eco-tourism, agro-industrial special economic zones.
Another DENR responsibility is to adhere to its mandate of conserving the environment and properly managing the country’s natural resources.
Plaza added that once they finalize the list of the DENR lands in every region, PEZA will invite PHILEA and other industry associations so that the prospective members and investors “can choose which to locate.”
More MOUs
She said aside from DENR, PEZA has MOUs with other government agencies such as but not limited to, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM).
For CAAP, Plaza said that they have vacant lands beside airports that PEZA will also convert into Aerotropolis Ecozone.
Currently, Plaza said that PEZA has 105 newly proclaimed economic zones. At least 82 of them are IT parks and sectors, while 18 are for manufacturing, four are agro-industrial ecozones, and one is for medical tourism.
Tags: #PEZA, #bigticketfirms, #DENR, #countrysidedevelopment, #investments