Aurora ecozone to spur countryside development

CASIGURAN, Aurora — The creation of a special economic zone in this town will help develop the countryside and decongest Metro Manila, according to a top official of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

NEDA Deputy Director General Nestor Mijares, told a public hearing of the Senate committee on economic affairs, that the proposed creation of the Aurora Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (ASEZA) will have a spillover effect in the provinces which is consistent with the objective of the National Government that more development take place in areas outside of Metro Manila.

"We support decongesting Metro Manila and the creation of the Aurora special economic zone would help," he said before the committee chaired by Sen. Mar Roxas.

The Roxas committee approved the proposal, embodied in House Bill 5309 shortly before the adjournment of Congress. It will be submitted for plenary deliberations after the May elections.

ASEZA was one of seven similar bills approved by the committee. The others were bills creating economic zones in Palawan, Cebu, South Cotabato, Bataan and Surigao del Sur.

ASEZA, authored by House Deputy Minority Leader Juan Edgardo Angara, was extensively defended by his father, Sen. Edgardo Angara, before a panel of government experts, consultants and academicians.

Mijares said it would be useful for government to look at the potentials of Aurora using the special economic zone. He cited that China started jump-starting the development process with Hong Kong and when the development impetus came, other areas followed.

Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said that if the National Government exerts more effort to help the province in establishing the special processing zone, then it can be an investments haven.