The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to identify government lands for developments into various types of economic zones in the country.
PEZA Director General Charito B. Plaza said the MOU will be signed with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) OIC-Secretary Jim O. Sampulna on Tuesday, May 31.
Under the MOU, both government agencies agree to cooperate in identifying viable public lands under the department’s jurisdiction that can be proposed for Presidential Proclamation as an ecozone, with the CARAGA region as the pilot area.
PEZA seeks to promote other types of ecozones such as agro-industrial, agro-forestry, mineral processing, and eco-tourism economic zones.
“As the country transitions to the Presidency of President-elect Bongbong Marcos Jr., we in PEZA are positive about the economic outlook under the new President and we continue with our mandate on attracting investments and generating exports and jobs. More so, we are actively embarking on new frontiers of creating viable, smart, and environment-friendly ecozones in as many provinces as possible based on the land potentials by industries and responsible utilization of natural resources as mandated under AO No. 18,” said Plaza.
She said the MOU signing will serve as an initial and broad framework of understanding between PEZA with the DENR towards the goal of identifying public lands nationwide that can be harnessed in a sustainable and environmentally-compliant manner, to spread ecozones because they are drivers of economic growth outside the National Capital Region.
Under the MOU, the DENR agrees to provide an inventory of public lands and islands under its jurisdiction to PEZA in order to explore feasible development of sustainable mineral and agro-forestry processing economic zones, oil depots, refinery ecozones, eco-tourism, agro-industrial special economic zones.
According to the PEZA Director General, “This comes with a great advantage as it will help minimize the impact of the dramatic increase in oil price and at the same time guard against supply chain disruption and completing the supply chain.”
The DENR will also provide technical assistance to PEZA in the formulation of proposals which shall include the adoption of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) approach for the identified Special Economic Zones.
Further, PEZA and DENR may constitute a Technical Working Group (TWG) that will study, formulate, and recommend policies that shall be adopted and observed by both agencies in implementing the MOU.
With the upcoming signing, PEZA has invited Senate Committee on Economic Affairs chairman Senator Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios “Imee” R. Marcos to grace the ceremony as keynote speaker.
Plaza said the late Marcos Sr. pioneered in the establishment of economic zones in the Philippines under Presidential Decree No. 66 in 1972 that created the Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA), the predecessor of the current PEZA.