Bukidnon solon backs Cebu ecozone bid

Bukidnon Representative Teofisto Guingona III vowed to support Cebu’s bid for a province wide Cebu Economic Development Zone (CEDZ).

The solon was in Cebu recently to grace the SK National Congress 2008 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casinos.

Guingona said he sees the potential of Cebu to be given a chance to implement the provincial economic zone structure adding that there is a need for policy makers like him to support such movement because after all Cebu has proven itself as the home of the world's finest export products.

The CEDZ, otherwise known as the House Bill No. 1319 has been approved at the Lower House Committee on Economic Affairs and now needs the support of more lawmakers for its final approval.           

Guingona, the son of former Vice President Teofisto Guingona II, admitted though that this bill could bring out massive opposition from other provinces, but he vowed to join the force of the eight Cebuano Congressmen who signed for the Bill.

He said he will help the Bill's proponents' and pro-bill Congressmen to find out solutions that will not make CEDZ come out as "discriminatory" or unfair to other provinces.

“Cebu could concentrate on export, while other provinces could find their industry-niche like Mindanao, for instance, could focus on agriculture and tourism," Guingona said.

"Cebuanos are the most successful in terms of exports," he said adding that making the province an economic zone could boost the export expertise of the province.

This first-of-a-kind initiative to be done in the Philippines aims to harness the resources of the entire Cebu Island, which possess all the economic ingredients and qualifications of a viable economic zone, as a pilot area for sub-national business environment reforms.

Considered as the flagship project of CCCI for the last two years, under the leadership of former president Francis O. Monera, the concept and objective of the bill was developed along the lines of establishing the Cebu Economic Development Zone into a self-sustaining, industrial, commercial and investment center that will put in place a wide-reaching employment and investment generation mechanism. 

The CEDZ is envisioned to be a paradigm of an effective and functioning Public-Private Sector Partnership with the private sector taking the lead and government providing infrastructure and institutional support and contributing part of the needed resources. 

The House Bill 1319, was approved by the 35-member committee chaired by Rep. Ramon "Red" Durano of Cebu's 5th district in February of this year, and is now being forwarded at the Committee on Ways and Means.

A Study Group led by former CCCI president Gerry Sta. Ana is working towards non-traditional and innovative ways to create opportunities and give investors maximum value for their investments.

With the help of German experts, study results on local and international best practices in economic zone development were put together and adopted where found suitable for Cebu, and strengthen the proposal's feasibility to become a Law.

Majority approval from the Local Government Unit (LGU) executives is also being started to serve as strong backup as soon as the bill will be dished out in the Plenary Session.