President Duterte has issued an administrative order directing government agencies to hasten the development of special economic zones in rural areas.
Duterte, in AO No. 18 signed last June 17, ordered the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, along with several other government agencies, to hasten human capital and infrastructure development in rural areas.
“There is a need to promote rural development, ensure inclusive growth in the countryside, and create robust economic activity and wealth generation in areas outside Metro Manila,” Dutete said in issuing the order.
The PEZA and the Departments of Information and Communications and Information Technology, Trade and Industry, Transportation, and Public Works and Highways, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority were also directed to provide interventions to strengthen ecozones in the countryside and ensure the development of backward and forward linkages of industries in and around such ecozones.
Also in the order, Duterte directed the PEZA to no longer accept, process, or evaluate applications for the establishment of ecozones in Metro Manila in line with the policy of promoting rural development until such moratorium is lifted.
The moratorium, however, shall not prevent locator companies from commencing their operations in existing ecozones in Metro Manila.
The AO also stated that applications endorsed by PEZA already submitted to the Office of the President will not be covered by the moratorium as long as these applications are found to have sufficient documents.
Other applications with insufficient documents are not covered by the moratorium as long as PEZA was notified by the OP of the deficiencies and PEZA has addressed them within 30 days from the effectivity of Duterte’s order. (Argyll Geducos)
