Capitol hears Defensor duo’s move for Iloilo special eco-zone, free port
Initiative in the Senate for a special economic zone and free port for Iloilo province now reached the Capitol.
With an endorsement from Third District Board Member Arthur Defensor Jr., members of the 9th Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP) hears today the discussions set forth in Congress.
Introduced by Ilongga Senator Miriam Defensor, Senate Bill No. 3169 pushes for Iloilo province as hub for investments in the Visayas region.
Iloilo, Senator Defensor said, “is a strategic geographical location” perfect for the establishment of a special economic zone.
“This bill seeks to strengthen the economic potential of Iloilo by creating the Iloilo Special Economic Zone covering the entire province. Its primary goals include increasing employment in the region, strengthening the standards of living of its people and developing the province as a center for economic growth in the area,” Senate Bill 3169 Explanatory Note went.
As pushed, the Iloilo Special Economic Zone will work under the framework of a self-sustaining industrial, commercial, financial, investment and tourism/recreational center. The free port as planned will have suitable retirement and residential areas “in order to create employment opportunities in and around the zone.”
Further still, the plan aims to effectively encourage and attract legitimate and productive foreign investments here.
Area of the “zone” is said to cover the entire province of Iloilo.