TACLOBAN CITY – From being one of the poorest provinces to being the first province to have implemented a "green lane" in the country, Northern Samar cited gains in streamlining business permits and licenses through its recent strategic investments.
These include the Ocean Power Project in Capul Island, the common cell sites project by Philtower Consortium, the offshore wind power project by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Aboitiz Infrastructure, and the tidal energy project by Energies PH Inc. on the San Bernardino Strait where ocean currents are said to be strong, which is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.
Gov. Edwin Ongchuan said that Northern Samar is the first LGU to establish a One-Stop Shop (OSS) which caters to strategic investments under Executive Order 18 approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in February 2023 or the One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments (OSACSI).
He added the Aboitiz project in San Isidro will be able to generate 300 jobs during construction and 30 jobs during operation.
Northern Samar is also being promoted as the coconut hub in Eastern Visayas because of location and interest in helping investors.
To express their commitment to preparing the province for investors, John Allen Berbon, chief of the Northern Samar provincial economic development and investment promotion office, said the provincial government is working on the approval of the comprehensive land use plan for all the municipalities.
Green Lanes aims to hasten, simplify, and automate the permit and license application processes for strategic investments in the Philippines, as well as strengthen the ease of doing business (EODB) at the local level with the assistance of the Board of Investments (BOI).
Director Ernesto Delos Reyes Jr., Director, of Investments Assistance Service, shared that green lanes promote simultaneous processing, wherein business application permits for strategic investments are streamlined to address red tape.
"Although we already have the ease of doing business, there should be an undertaking for minor requirements through our investment promotion unit network to fast-track issues and concerns, permits, and licenses without prejudice."
He added that they will also be capacitating local government units to know the requirements in applying for permits until the businesses operate.
"There is a single point of entry under EO 18, LGUs must have a green lane officer and all government agencies cannot facilitate without endorsement from the BOI."