PEZA wants 300 new economic zones in 2018

Following the uproar from the business sector, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said it plans to do dialogues with private landowners to convert at least 300 new economic zones by 2018.

"Around 300 [new economic zones are expected] next year. We will know by the end of January. We are preparing our economic zones for the April Economic Zones Convergence," PEZA Director-General Charito "Ching" Plaza said on the sidelines of the ASEAN Business & Investment Summit (ABIS).

This comes after the business sector last month complained that the government has been taking its time in creating new special economic zones.

Plaza said that out of the 58 economic zones pending the proclamation of President Rodrigo Duterte, only six have been released as of October 10.

"Executive Secretary [Salvador] Medialdea, the PCCI (Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry), and PEZA, we just conducted a dialogue last week," she said.

"We promised to hasten all of these so that the enthusiasm of the investors will not die out because we also would really want to take advantage of that enthusiasm for investors to come to the Philippines," she added.

This includes large land areas in the Luzon region, spanning as much as four hectares.

"We are really expecting many many types of ecozones. We have now a mega ecozone application, like 1,000 to 4,000 hectares -- 4,000 hectares in Bulacan, 3,000 hectares in Pangasinan. We are really inviting the big private landowners," Plaza said.

"Medyo marami, because we are encouraging private landowners, LGU (local government units), government agencies manging public lands," she added.

Plaza last year said that PEZA is crafting a Philippine business geography that highlights the best places for enterprises to set up shop.

She also said foreign investors, including members of royal families in the Middle East, are interested in leasing land in the Philippines to be converted into Special Economic Zones (SEZs). —ALG, GMA News