BACOLOD City – The Northern Negros Agro-Industrial Export Processing Zone (NNAIEPZ) will soon rise on a 160-hectare local government-owned property in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
The project will proceed after the city government and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) entered into a memorandum of understanding in a virtual signing ceremony via videoconference from the City Council’s session hall on Wednesday.
The signatories were Mayor Alfredo Marañon III and PEZA director General Charito Plaza.
Marañon said the creation of the NNAIEPZ supports the national government direction to decongest Metro Manila as well as the PEZA mandate to spur economic development in the countryside by providing employment opportunities to the locals.
“It is very timely because everybody is trying to go back to their hometowns under the ‘Balik Probinsiya, Bagong Pag-asa’ program, which is part of the post-pandemic recovery plan,” the mayor said.
Under the MOU, the City of Sagay and the PEZA will jointly develop and promote the expanded 160 hectares through a usufruct agreement from the 20 hectares earlier approved for development by the city government as concurred by the Office of the President in 2008.
Last February, the City Council headed by Vice Mayor Narciso Javelosa unanimously approved Resolution 2020-064 favorably endorsing and authorizing the PEZA to undertake economic development covering the 160 hectares owned by the local government. It also sought to register the real property as an expansion of the existing PEZA-registered 20 hectares subject to the proclamation by the President.
Rep. Leo Rafael Cueva of the 2nd District, who witnessed the virtual signing rites, commended Plaza and Marañon for continuing to work on the endeavor amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
“This is also in synch with our vision-mission in the CASAMA Development Alliance. This is a very welcome development. We are moving forward to make our dream a reality,” he added.
CASAMA is composed of Cadiz City, Sagay City, and Manapla town, all under the 2nd District.
Cueva also paid tribute to the mayor’s father, former Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., for starting the vision on the development of the export processing zone in Sagay.
“This is his legacy as his administration worked tirelessly to realize this dream to provide jobs not only to Sagaynons but to other residents of the district from Cadiz and Manapla,” he added.
The virtual ceremony was also witnessed by Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., Manapla Mayor Manual M. Escalante III, and potential locators from Luzon and Cebu. (With a report from PNA/PN)
