Part of NAIA eyed as sp’l ecozone

The government is reportedly studying the possibility of converting the portion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) into a special economic zone to accommodate a foreign logistics firm that had earlier applied for ecozone status.

DHL Worldwide Express (Philippines) Inc., the world’s leading express and logistics company, had reportedly applied for the conversion of its facilities at the NAIA into a special ecozone that would entitle it to some fiscal perks.

Unfortunately, sources said, the one-hectare DHL Gateway Facility alone is not big enough to qualify as an ecozone under existing rules and regulations of the Philippine Economiz Zone Authority (PEZA).

Thus, it was proposed that part of the NAIA property owned by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) should be combined with the DHL property as well as the already declared ecozone of MacroAsia Properties Development Corp. into one big ecozone covering a total of 60 hectares.

The proposal would benefit MIAA, sources said, since the cost of developing the ecozone would be partly shouldered by member-developers of the private-sector-led Philippine Industrial Estates Association or PHILEA.

Government is keen on accommodating DHL so that it decides to remain in the country and develop the Philippines as a major cargo transport hub.

DHL currently handles an average of 200,000 cargoes a month.