Thousands of Filipinos have found jobs at the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport, as the new economic hub in northeast Luzon continued to draw fresh investments and international tourists.

Cagayan Economic Zone Authority Administrator and CEO Jose Mari Ponce reported that in just seven years, the number of potential jobs in the economic zone increased exponentially from just 195 in 2002 to 5,918 as of August 2008.

The 2008 employment expectation in the economic zone rose 80 percent from 3,283 potential jobs that were registered in 2007. Potential job generation was estimated at 2,541 in 2006.

“Once these investments become fully operational, we expect more jobs to be created for Filipinos not only in Cagayan province, but also in other provinces of Cagayan Valley (Region 2),” said Ponce.

Cagayan Valley groups the northeast Luzon provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Batanes.

Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport in Sta. Ana, Cagayan is the fastest-growing industrial, logistics and tourism hub in the country. It was established in February 1995, by virtue of Republic Act No. 7922. CEZA manages the Freeport and attracts new locators into the economic zone.

Ponce said that as of end-August 2008, CEZA had 87 locators, of which 49 were already operational with actual investments of P3.826 billion.

The 87 locators have actually committed to invest a total of P16.4 billion. In 2007, there were only 68 registered enterprises and in 2006, the number stood at 55.

These investments are in real estate, banking, port operations, aviation, interactive gaming, tourism and resort services, agro-industrial, leisure facilities, international fishing, telecommunications, software development, management services, trading and importation, mining and quarrying, among others.

Following the increase in investment registrations, estimated operating revenues of CEZA climbed to more than P200 million in 2008 from P139 million in 2007.

Among the largest investments are two leisure-resort and gaming support service complexes, with a total of 600 rooms, including villas, KTV, water sports facilities and restaurants that are now operational.

A 2007 regional economic situationer prepared by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in Cagayan Valley has already cited the importance of the economic zone as an investment magnet and job generator in the region.

“The expansion and improvement of Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport changed the investment climate in the region,” the NEDA report said.

The Freeport also boosted tourism in Cagayan Valley, as thousands of foreign and domestic tourists visited and infused money in the region. These tourists came particularly for the gaming facilities at the economic zone.

Ponce said the economic zone’s contribution to Cagayan Valley became more pronounced as a driver of economic growth and employment generation in the region in 2008.

Source from: goodnewspilipinas.com

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Viray Festival 2008 Itinerary
Event - May 26 - 30, 2008

May 26 - Fluvial Parade (contest of virays) and opening of Trade Fair

May 27 - Carabao Parade, Carabao Tug of War and Dog Show

May 28 - Indigeneous game, Sand Castle Sculpturing exibition and Battle of the Bands

May 29 - Sand Castle Building Contest and Invitational Sand Sculpturing Contest

May 30 - Grand Parade and Street Dancing, Phil. Army Combo Show, Dragon fire dancing and beach party/cocktails

By BERNIE C. MAGKILAT
Manila Bulletin

The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) and a consortium of private sector groups are investing P11 billion for the construction of infrastructure projects particularly an international airport and seaport to jumpstart the development of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport in Santa Ana, Cagayan.

CEZA administrator and CEO Jose Mari Ponce said they are looking at the completion of all the infrastructure facilities by 2010.

Of the total investment requirement, Ponce said between P5 billion to P6 billion would be used to for the construction of the international airport and P4 billion to P5 billion for the construction of the container port.

The funding for the international airport would be a combination of its own budgetary allocation from the national government and the private sector consortium led by the First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp., CEZA’s Internet casino master licensor, of businessman Alfredo Benitez group. They are eyeing an equity sharing of 60-40 in favor of CEZA.

Spanish-owned Banco Bilbao is also providing a 350-million euro open credit line that can be tapped for the airport project and to fund expansion projects of CEZA locators.

The Banco Bilbao, however, requires a sovereign guarantee for the loans from PhilExim bank.

“It is a priority for CEZA to build the airport this year,” said Ponce, as he cited the rapid development of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport.

He said the airport will have a runway of 1,500 meters to 2,000 meters to accommodate large aircraft filled with tourists and investors. The runway alone entails P2 billion in investments. Construction of the airport is expected to start this year in a 30-hectare privately-owned lot in Sta. Ana and is expected to be operational by 2009.

Ponce said the international airport will support the vision of CEZA to transform the economic zone and Freeport into a first-class tourist destination and a major transshipment point for trade in the Asia-Pacific rim, competing with the like of Hong Kong and Singapore.

The international airport will be complemented by various infrastructure and information technology projects that will solidify the position of the Freeport and economic zone as a tourism and investment destination.

While the international airport is under development, CEZA has developed the San Vicente airstrip to accommodate smaller chartered flights from Manila. Under a joint use agreement with the Philippine Navy, CEZA finalized the widening of the airstrip and started utilizing the facility since last year.

Larger aircraft are also using the Tuguegarao airport which presently caters to international chartered flights to and from Macau, and has a frequency of two flights per week to bring tourists to Sta. Ana while the CEZA international airport remains to be completed, Ponce added. Tuguegarao is 150 kilometers away from Sta. Ana.

On the other hand, Port Irene, the center of the Freeport zone, is being developed into a major transshipment hub of international standards for a total cost of P5 billion.

The port’s existing pier will be rehabilitated and lengthened to accommodate 20,00 deadweight tons vessels while the 7-hectare port area shall be developed into a container year with a capacity of 17,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The development of the port will come in two phases, the construction of breakwater to protect the port from strong currents and waves, and the lengthening of the pier and development of the container yard.

The development of the seaport would be undertaken on a build-operate transfer scheme by the ASEAN Pacific International Terminals Inc., which is now owned by Filipino-owned Burgundy Group of Co.

“The goal is by 2010 all the infrastructure facilities are already operational including additional power capacity, roads and bridges,” Ponce said.

Ponce said road development is ongoing to facilitate more investments related to eco-tourism projects. Other projects including waste and sewerage system, and waste disposal facilities are ready for implementation.

Ponce explained that when he took over CEZA in 2005, he ordered a shift in focus in the implementation of priority projects from transshipment port and agro-industrial strategy to eco-tourism.

Ponce has decided to push the development of eco-tourism first because there is already the demand for tourists and casino players from nearby countries particularly Macau, Taipei, China, Japan and Korea.

On the other hand, based on his study the transshipment and agroidnsutrial strategy can only become viable by 2012 yet.

Ponce’s move to prioritize eco-tourism has born fruit with the establishment of two major casinoresort complexes Macaubased Sun City and Xiamen-based Eastern Hawaii, built at a cost of nearly P1 billion, which is currently under expansion to provide a total of 600 rooms for foreign guests from the current 400 room capacity.

This has facilitated more tourist arrivals on the average of 200 a month via chartered international flights. In December last year, there were 300 tourists that came into Sta. Ana. The zone has also an available 400 hotel rooms.

The zone has been declared as Asia’s first and only interactive gaming jurisdiction by the International Association of Gaming Resources.

First Cagayan is also developing a ten-hectare cyber complex at a cost of P800 million, which will house a world-class, state-of the-art data center facility.

Ponce said that First Cagayan has invested heavily in telecommunications to provide the needs of investors. It has already completed the installation of microwave facilities connecting Aparri to Sta. Ana and the installation of an 85-kilometer fiber optic cabling facility from Lallo to Sta. Ana.

Through this fiber network, the Zone is interconnected to major telcos and can now offer high-capacity internet connectivity at competitive costs, ideal for various businesses such as offshore banking, call centers and other BPO ventures.

Now that the demand has been established in the Freeport, Ponce said they are now laying down the infrastructure projects to accommodate increased tourist arrivals and increased trade volume as transshipment hub.(BCM)

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