Some days stand out and remain etched in the mind probably forever because of discussions with people who give a lot of guidance and inspiration. For me, one of these days was today.
I met for the first time in person the General Manager of Clark Development Corporation, Mike de la Rosa. He is also the current Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NEDA Alumni Association.
We discussed the possibility of establishing an export processing zone near the multi-billion pesos Transshipment Hub now under construction in Babatngon, Leyte.
The Clark Freeport is in Mabalacat, Pampanga. It has 4,000 hectares of largely flat land and is just a two-hour ride from Metro Manila. It is the location of 1,400 enterprises employing 141,000 workers, which is equivalent to more than half of the population of Tacloban City.
Clark is also considered the center of tourism in Central Luzon today.
He informed me that the CDC can provide technical assistance to local government units like Babatngon in promoting, planning, implementing, and managing an export processing zone. An official request from an LGU can lead to a continuing technical assistance program from CDC.
It took around thirty years to transform the zone into what it is now.
More than its employment and income effects, it is a government agency that collects 5 billion pesos in revenues annually, with 2 billion pesos of that remitted to the national government.
The area must have amenities like hotels and malls, and utilities like adequate light, water, and internet connection. The complexity of the requirements explains why it takes a long time to make a zone attractive to locators,
A significant advantage of Babatngon is its large seaport, something that Clark does not have. Babatngon is also just an hour away from the DZR Airport in Tacloban which will be an international airport in 2026. However, Clark Freeport has an International Airport inside its area and will soon have two runways, one for cargo and the other for passenger flights.
Establishing an Export Processing Zone requires, as in the case of CDC, a law that will identify its functions, specify its powers, and enumerate the composition of its Board of Directors.
Perhaps this zone does not have to be as large as the Clark model considering that it will cater mainly to local labor which is not as large as those available in Central Luzon and nearby Metro Manila. But if right sized and tied with tourism then Babatngon can be an attractive investment and tourism destination as Clark is.
A dream today, a reality tomorrow; this could be the slogan for this zone.
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