Solon to revive plan to make Samal a special ecozone

Elated by the positive reviews given by the business sector due to the positive economic developments in the Island Garden City of Samal, Rep. Antonio Floirendo, Jr. (2nd District Davao del Norte) disclosed yesterday a plan to revive an old bill declaring the island-city a special economic zone.

The concept was first broached by Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario, then a congressman, during his final term in the legislature but this was archieved after the lower chamber failed to table it for discussion. Under the bill, Samal, already a world-class destination, will become a special project that would afford huge investors specific incentives the Board of Investments may approve.

Floirendo explained that the primary objectives of making the island-city a special economic zone is to generate jobs, encourage small enterprises, and open opportunities for other non-traditional businesses. He said the bill will specifically allow new economic players to choose investment schemes that suit their specific needs.

The congressman, however, made the assurance that any effort to develop Samal into a potential investment destination must not carry with it the license to destroy the environment, pollute marine waters and damage the ecosystem.

Floirendo has filed HB 1745, an act creating the Davao Gulf Development Authority, a body tasked with planning, coordinating and management of all government programs in the Davao Gulf for sustainable utilization of the resources of area. The group will further ensure that a symbiotic relationship between marine environmental preservation and economic development is observed.

"Because we cannot allow tourism to be ravaged purely in the name of profiteering," Floirendo quipped. He added that good planning and liberal entry of appropriate investment into the island-city will also result to economic gains in the whole Davao region.