Peza: Cebu Province, C. Luzon eyed as sites for 30 more ecozones

PEZA Director General Tereso Panga ( PNA file photo)

MANILA – Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Tereso Panga wants to double the number of registered economic zones next year.

In a year-end press briefing of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) over the weekend, Panga said PEZA is looking at additional 30 ecozones that can be proclaimed in 2025.

He said most of the developers are eyeing to put up ecozones in the Calabarzon and Central Luzon regions, and Cebu province, but PEZA is also pushing for development in rural areas.

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“We (would) like to see more ecozones being developed in Mindanao. So the ones that make a big push for these are agriculture. They are more into resource seeking type(s) of investments, agriculture including green ores,” Panga said.

The PEZA chief said the investment promotion agency is also targeting more information technology parks outside metropolitan areas and to go to next wave cities and municipalities.

Panga said an investment to develop a 25-hectare ecozone amounted to around PHP1 billion to P2 billion.

“The challenge now is how we can provide for readily available areas so when we get investors inquiring on site selection. If you don’t have land to offer them, especially economic zones, then easily like that, we lose them to other competitors in the region,” he said.

DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque said in the same briefing that her administration wants to integrate micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the ecozone supply chain.

Roque urged MSMEs to look into opportunities of locating their operations within PEZA zones for them to avail of the incentives and partner with other ecozone locators.

“So, it’s something that we need to push aggressively to create awareness on what DTI has to offer to these MSMEs,” she said.

“We are very supportive of the plan on how to integrate more MSMEs into the ecozone value chain. To do that, we really have to support the creation of ecozones in the countryside. They go hand in hand with MSME development including in the countryside.”

This year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. proclaimed 16 additional ecozones. (PNA)