No politics in BEZ conversion to freeport

BALANGA CITY – Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee, said that politics is out of the question in the consultative meeting for the conversion of the Bataan Economic Zone into Bataan Special Economic Zone and Freeport held on Friday at the Mariveles town hall, this province.

Legarda, who authored the Senate Bill No.2118 on the BEZ conversion, nearly flared up when former Mariveles mayor Oscar de los Reyes raised an issue which put in doubt the credibility of the members of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee on the public hearing. Senator Richard Gordon, a member of the committee, was with Legarda to get the general sentiments of the locators, residents, civic and business leaders on the proposed conversion of most neglected ecozones in the country.

After the presiding officer has recognized the former mayor, he shouted on top of his voice over the microphone when an official of the Export Processing Zone Chamber of Exporters and Manufacturers (EPZCEM), left the Sanguniang Bayan hall without expressing the group’s opposition to the conversion of BEZ.

The group has reiterated its stand on the proposed House Bill 1425 converting BEZ into Bataan Special Economic and Freeport Zone believing since this is sponsored by Rep. Albert Garcia, there is no need of such move and BEZ should stay in the administration of Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) who has the experience and professionalism in running an economic zone, Gordon warned Reyes to control his temper during the hearing.

The two senators also made ocular inspections to the present facilities of BEZ before they met the multi-sectoral groups at the Mariveles town hall.

Legarda said that if the conversion of the BEZ is most advantageous to the people of Bataan and the country why not approve it.

“I am a Nationalist People’s Coalition, Senator Dick Gordon is an independent and Rep. Albert Garcia is a Kampi member,” we are here for the good and welfare of the people we vowed to protect. 

Garcia told The STAR there is a necessity to convert the BEZ into the Bataan Special Economic Zone and Freeport because of the poor status of the first economic zone under the management of PEZA for almost 13 years.

BEZ is being poorly maintained – its road network is bad, dilapidated factory buildings to be restored, and infrastructure should be constructed, as well as communications and telecommunications systems should be upgraded to be able to fit and adapt to the current needs of globally competitive business communities.

Moreover, Garcia said the Freeport status of BEZ never had achieved its objective to become a self-containing business estate despite being the country’s first export processing zone.

The young Bataan lawmaker said the addition of a free port to an already existing economic zone will surely help in addressing the government’s efforts to create two million jobs a year to be able to neutralize the rate of unemployment in the country.

According to Garcia, Bataan is one province that has the potential of becoming a busy trade center in Asia once the ecozone is developed to its fullest and a port is successfully put in place that could service both local and international trade.

The historic peninsula is strategically located, being adjacent to the Subic Freeport and situated very near the Clark Development Authority, both of which have experienced unprecedented development, much more, with the operation of the multi-billion peso Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTE) , Garcia said.

“Bataan is envisioned to become an international transshipment hub in the country with Mariveles as a viable maritime route than that of the adjacent Subic Freeport. The conversion of BEZ into Bataan Special Economic Zone and Freeport benefit the people of Bataan and the Filipino people,” Garcia added.