The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has green-lighted an almost seven-hectare (ha) special economic zone (SEZ) at the CamSur Uptown in the Provincial Capitol complex in Pili, a development that Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte believes will clear the way to an even larger stream of capital into one of the country’s premier investment hubs outside Metro Manila.
At its latest Board meeting, PEZA passed Resolution No. 26-003 that approved the application of the CamSur provincial government for a pre-qualification clearance for the “development, management and operation” as an SEZ of a 6.7-ha or 67,106-square meter (sqm) property at the Provincial Capitol complex in the province’s capital municipality of Pili.
This means that once the provincial government has complied with all the government clearances and documentary requirements, including an endorsement by the Sangguniang Bayan of Pili for this Zone development, the Office of the President (OP) will issue the required Presidential Proclamation establishing the CamSur Uptown Special Economic Zone.
Lawyer Christine Heidi Rosales, who is Acting Board Secretary, has certified Resolution No. 26-003, which the Board approved in its most recent meeting last Jan. 23.
Villafuerte said, “The imminent establishment of the CamSur Uptown SEZ underscores the capability of our province to provide a stable and competitive environment for both international and domestic investors—on the strength of CamSur’s spectacular growth narrative from being one of the country’s poorest provinces decades back to now the third wealthiest and No. 2 revenue earner among LGUs (local government units).”
Villafuerte said the provincial government’s flagship project is the Smart Global City, which will be anchored by CamSur Uptown that will have logistics centers, offices, schools, hospitals, malls and residential villages.
“This will usher in an even greater stream of capital into the province, which has emerged as one of the country’s premier investment magnets outside Metro Manila,” said Villafuerte, who is president of the National Unity Party (NUP) and senior vice chairman (for South Luzon) of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP).
“Once the CamSur Uptown ecozone is up and running, it will mean greater economic activity, more jobs and better livelihood opportunities in our province that will spell higher incomes for Camsureños,” added Villafuerte, who was appointed last year by President Marcos as chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) for Bicol.
The Uptown ecozone is expected to attract investors in the IT and business process management sectors along with other PEZA-eligible industries that will further boost the post-pandemic growth momentum not only of CamSur but of the rest of Bicol as well, Villafuerte said.
The PEZA Board resolution provides that the CamSur provincial government shall provide, and continue to provide, the basic structures, facilities and utilities in the Zone, including power, water, telecommunications, firefighting facilities and equipment, sewerage and drainage systems, wastewater treatment plant, pollution control devices, paved roads, sewerage system, and water recycling facilities.
Also, future locators in this Uptown SEZ shall, under Resolution No. 2026-003, apply individually to seek separate registration with PEZA and shall be governed by Republic Act (RA) No. 11534 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) Act, as amended by RA 12066 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy(CREATE MORE) Act; and PEZA laws, rules, regulations and policies.
During his term as congressman representing CamSur’s second district, Villafuerte had co-authored the CREATE Act and the CREATE MORE Act.
With its rise as the wind energy capital in the Philippines, Villafuerte said that 16 renewable energy (RE) ventures are in the pipeline with a combined generating capacity of 8,000 megawatts (MW), topped by the $3-billion, 1,000 MW offshore wind (OSW) farm of Danish firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) at San Miguel Bay.
“Once the CamSur Uptown ecozone is up and running, it will mean greater economic activity, more jobs and better livelihood opportunities in our province.”
Once operational, this CIP project will be the biggest OSW project in the country creating thousands of jobs, generating billions of pesos in revenues, and resulting to a cleaner future for the province.
The other RE projects being supported by the provincial government include the 58.5 MW onshore wind project of Aboitiz Power in Libmanan, which has an investment of P5 billion; the 74 MW solar power project in Calabanga of NexifRatch Energy, which is investing P2.8 billion; and the 50 MW onshore wind project by Citicore valued at P5.7 billion in Bombon.
CamSur already boasts having the CamSur Information Technology Park (CSTIP), which is the first IT Park in the country owned and managed by an LGU; and the Tourism Ecozone Zone, as set up by Presidential Proclamation 1932 in October 2009, which designated several areas within the Provincial Capitol complex as part of this tourism zone.
The CSTIP is likewise the first IT Park in Bicol declared by PEZA as an SEZ under Presidential Proclamation No. 850 issued in May 2005.
This five-hectare park located at the Provincial Capitol complex has the first LGU-run digital animation center—the CamSur Animation Studio (CAS)—that produced the first full-length Filipino digital animation film Dayo in 2008.
The CAT studio is doing international projects, including Hollywood animation productions.
The tourism zone, meanwhile, is home to the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC), which is considered as the best wakeboard park in the world.
Villafuerte said that the provincial government’s flagship project is the Smart Global City, which will be anchored by CamSur Uptown that will have logistics centers, offices, schools, hospitals, malls and residential villages.
At the heart of CamSur Uptown will be the iconic and ultra modern provincial government center that is designed like CamSur’s internationally famous pili nut, and that will have a fully equipped mega evacuation center for Camsureños who will be forced to flee their homes during calamities.
This government center, which has been designed by architect and urban design consultant Carlos Arnaiz of the design firm CAZA, is already 70% complete.
