Taguig City – Buoyed by the pronouncement of President Duterte during his fourth State of the Nation Address to enhance land use and spread development to the countywide as an economic imperative, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) boost partnership on promoting the development of ecozones in the countryside.
PEZA Director General Charito B. Plaza and MinDA OIC-Chairman Nathaniel Dalumpines met on Tuesday in PEZA head office to discuss Mindanao's potential ecozone areas, following the recent signing by President Duterte of Administrative Order 18, which seeks to “accelerate rural progress through robust development of Special Economic Zones in the countryside”.
Even prior to the promulgation of AO No. 18 on 17 June 2019, MinDA and PEZA had already signed a Memorandum of Agreement in 2017 for the establishment of agri-economic and Special Economic Zones in Mindanao.
Plaza underlined that ecozones are key drivers of economic growth. “Local government units (LGUs) which for a long time been host of ecozones like Cavite, Mactan, Baguio City, CALABARZON region, Bataan, Clark, and Subic are very progressive, productive, and rank highest in contributing to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in social progress, and they have the lowest poverty and crime incidences. They enjoy peace and prosperity. Thus, we want such progress replicated in the countryside, in Mindanao, and other poorer and security-challenged provinces nationwide. We aim to spread economic development and opportunities to more localities.”
Further, Plaza explained that spreading ecozones to countryside will be in accordance to the land and natural resources potentials of the area. “PEZA, under my stewardship promotes an environment-friendly industrialization and in creating green, healthy, sustainable and smart ecozones.”
“We have different types of ecozones that is environment-friendly and viable to the type of lands available,” Plaza said. Under her leadership of PEZA, Plaza proactively engaged local chief executives and various government agencies on the benefits and processes of creating ecozones
“The New PEZA aims for decentralization, regionalization, and bringing closer to the people PEZA’s services. The New PEZA is every Filipino-driven in attaining full industrialization, aims to accelerate rural progress through robust development of different types of Special Economic Zones, aims for maximizing the production, manufacturing & export capability of Filipinos, aims to eradicate import-dependence, establish food security & utilize responsibly the natural resources,” said Plaza.
On his part, MinDA OIC-Chair Atty. Dalumpines said “The AO No. 18 now provides Mindanao a great opportunity to proactively shepherd ecozone-development outside growth centers, propel sustainable economic activities, generate more jobs, and increase agricultural and rural enterprise productivity, thereby optimizing export potentials.”
“Since the forging of partnership between MinDA and PEZA as well as the MinDA Board’s endorsement of the proposed establishment of agro-economic zones last year, we have already made several coordination efforts to ensure involvement of the concerned agencies in this initiative,” said Dalumpines.
Working Group for Mindanao ecozones
MinDA recently convened the newly created Mindanao Development Corridor - Joint Planning and Programming / Technical Working Group (MinDC-JPP/TWG) on agro-economic zones composed of Regional Economic Zone Authority (REZA) and Regional Planning and Development Office (RPDO) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Mindanao regional offices.
The TWG has already agreed on a criterion for prioritization of economic zone proposals in Mindanao, including poverty incidence in the proposed ecozone location, proximity to port of entry, and availability of labor pool.
Through its MinDC program, MinDA aims for a seamless physical integration and strong economic cooperation of all. The JPP is a mechanism to ensure an inter-agency support and interventions for the key programs and projects in Mindanao. The establishment of agro-economic zones is one of the priority projects under the MinDC.
With the establishment of these agro-ecozones, Dalumpines hopes that “growth will be fairly spread to the peripheries and the fruits of prosperity will be equitably enjoyed by all as the key measures to a peaceful and progressive Mindanao.”
PEZA Director General Plaza further envisions the Special Economic Zones as the economic drivers to grow smart towns, digital cities, and new metropolitan areas in every region. Through the creation of special ecozones, it empowers and capacitates Filipino people and the LGUs to become self-reliant, self-sustaining, and revenue-generating and altogether, build a peaceful, progressive, and a strong republic. #