TUBA, Benguet – The administration of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is looking for a 100-hectare land area that will serve as its expansion area in the nearby towns of Benguet to accommodate additional multi-national corporations wanting to operate in the Baguio and Benguet areas, Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan said here recently.
Cosalan, who served as the guest of honor and speaker during the town’s 105th founding anniversary, said the available land area must be free from any conflicts on claims and has sufficient source of potable water to help attract prospective investors.
“The existing PEZA expansion plan will definitely boost the economic growth of the towns where the expansion will be located. We have to closely work with the local governments to avail of the benefits the expansion plan can do for the economy of communities around Baguio City,” Cosalan stressed.
The lawmaker mentioned additional potential benefits of the host and neighboring communities from the proposed PEZA expansion area like the generation of employment for qualified residents, increased livelihood opportunities, local governments will be guaranteed the 40 percent share from the PEZA operations, and better infrastructure.
According to him, Tublay is interested in offering the said area if not for its mountainous terrain, thus, the only towns that can have the available land areas are Sablan and Tuba because of their proximity to major national roads that guarantee the immediate delivery of the products to markets.
Cosalan explained Tuba has the best chance of becoming a well-developed municipality outside Baguio City and La Trinidad because of its strategic location, being a gateway to the country’s Summer Capital and traversed by four major national roads leading to the lowlands, particularly the historic and scenic Kennon |road, the Palispis-Aspiras highway formerly known as Marcos highway, Naguilian road and the Baguio-Asin-San Pascual-Tubao, La Union road.
He called on the municipal governments of Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay and La Trinidad to already start identifying the existence of the available land area preferably a minimum of 50 hectares and a maximum of 100 hectares so that appropriate coordination’s will already be done with the PEZA administrators for the conduct of evaluation and assessment on whether or not the identified land will qualify with its stringent standards.
Cosalan expressed confidence that the concerned local governments will be able to segregate the available land areas within their jurisdiction to avail of the opportunity to host PEZA locators to contribute to the efforts of the government to decentralise economic zones in the country and help in providing additional sources of income to the host and neighbouring communities through their mandatory 40 percent share of the taxes generated from the locators operating inside the zone.
By HENT
