Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said the establishment of the Bulacan Ecozone should be grounded on comprehensive studies to ensure its creation will truly benefit the province and the general public.

Cayetano made the call as the Senate amends the bill following its veto by President Marcos in 2023.

"It's too big of a project and a bill to rush, and hindi tayo sigurado kung ano ang mangyayari (we are not yet sure what will happen) and you don't want this vetoed again," Cayetano said as he sought clarification in his interpellation in a Senate session with the bill’s sponsor Sen. Grace Poe on Wednesday, March 13.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 1, 2023 vetoed the Bulacan Economic Zone Act (BEZA) citing that some of its provisions as posing “fiscal risks to the country" and infringing on the mandates of other agencies.

The senator said he agrees with President Marcos’ position and stressed the importance of comprehensive studies, including a cost-benefit analysis from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), to ensure that the project is beneficial for the country, especially since the proposed economic zone is in close proximity to the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone (CFEZ).

“We cannot say that the Bulacan Economic Zone will benefit the whole country without a study because Clark has about 35,000 hectares owned by the government. So between a private corporation, the airport city, and between Clark which has an international airport, we should also protect Clark” he said.

But according to Poe, NEDA has failed to provide a comprehensive economic study until now. This, she said has become, a "bottleneck" in the progress of the proposed economic zone.

Poe also said the local government in Bulacan wants the ecozone to be built for investment purposes and that the ecozone would be built without using government funds.

But Cayetano insisted that scientific studies are more reliable than mere local opinion.

“On one hand, I'm really curious and excited for Bulacan to have a super economic zone. On the other hand, it's the first time na y’ung buong province will be part of an economic zone so I'm a little bit concerned about the feasibility and how it will work,” the senator said.

While he supports Bulacan’s economic development, Cayetano stressed a scientific based study is need to ensure that public funds will benefit the province and the public.

“What is our scientific basis? What are the economic studies? Who are the experts who came in with the studies, saying that this economic zone is feasible? Because if it isn’t, then five years or 10 years, 15 years or 20 years from now they will look back at the Senate and say…why did we rush (the establishment of) the economic zone? You could have waited for the study,” Cayetano reiterated.