TUBA, Benguet – The municipal government, in coordination with concerned residents and land owners, was able to identify three sites that could be used as the expansion area of the Baguio-based Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to accommodate more locators wanting to establish their companies in the Baguio and Benguet areas.
Mayor Ignacio Rivera said the identified potential PEZA expansion areas include a 45-hectare property in barangay San Pascual, a 42-hectare property located within the boundary of barangays Taloy Norte and Poblacion and another 40-hectare property situated in the boundary of Taloy Sur and Taloy Norte.
“We want to make sure that the land owners possess the pertinent documents of the potential PEZA expansion areas so that PEZA will start evaluating and assessing the viability of the properties as site of its locators in the future,” Rivera stressed.
He said PEZA management already made a definite pronouncement that Tuba is the suitable expansion area of the economic zone because of its proximity to existing national roads for the smooth transport of products from the potential zone to its market outside the zone.
According to him, local officials have already met with PEZA officials relative to the submission of pertinent documents covering the potential economic zone sites in the different parts of the municipality and that the local government is just awaiting the next step for the realization of the proposed PEZA expansion to the municipality.
Earlier, Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan urged the local government to start scouting for potential sites in the locality that could be used as the possible expansion area of the Baguio-based PEZA to accommodate more locators wanting to operate in the said zone.
Mayor Rivera claimed the operation of PEZA in the municipality will definitely improve the income of the local government because of its guaranteed 40 percent share of the taxes paid by PEZA locators will be directly remitted to the coffers of the municipal government.
He said the income derived from the possible PEZA operation will definitely be used for priority development projects of the thirteen barangays, provide income-generating projects of the local government and enhance the delivery of basic services to the people, especially those living in remote villages of the locality.
Aside from accessibility to existing road networks, Rivera disclosed some of the criteria in selecting potential PEZA expansion areas would be lesser traffic congestion to avoid untoward delays in the delivery of PEZA products to the desired markets and the availability of sources of potable water to be used for the round the clock operation of the locators interested to operate in the identified expansion area.
Tuba is a first-class municipality bounded by four national roads that include the scenic and historic Kennon road, Marcos highway, Naguilian road and the newly paved Baguio-Asin-San Pascual-Aringay national road.
By HENT
