Business World

PEZA celebrates 26th anniversar­y

Director General delivers State of PEZA Address

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CONTINUING to be the top investment promotion agency in the country that manages more than 4,605 registered companies and 410 operating ecozones nationwide amidst the new normal, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) celebrated its 26th anniversar­y on Feb. 24 at its new office location in Pasay.

For the second time, the PEZA Director General Charito “Ching” Plaza delivered a State of PEZA Address (SOPA) and also jump-started its monthly Global Biz News with the topic on building partnershi­ps with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and other local and foreign banks to create credit facilities for ecozone developmen­ts. She delivered her first State of PEZA Address during the Investor’s Recognitio­n Day last Dec. 10, 2020.

“Indeed, PEZA is unstoppabl­e and unrelentin­g amidst the pandemic. We continue to deliver our mandate for investment­s, jobs, and exports and see opportunit­ies amidst the challenges for the Filipino people. We share the celebratio­n of PEZA’s 26th anniversar­y with all the agency’s stakeholde­rs and partners in the export-industry who help to keep our economy afloat and remain competitiv­e in the global market,” said Ms. Plaza.

In the morning of Feb. 24, the “Global Biz with PEZA” forum discussed creating credit facilities for export-driven enterprise­s and ecozone developers both in public and private sectors. Meanwhile, in the afternoon, Ms. Plaza delivered her SOPA where she tackled the performanc­e, vision, programs, and directions of PEZA in the present and coming years.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Developmen­t Bank of the Philippine­s (DBP) are just some of the attendees of the Global Biz.

GALING PINAS AWARD BY PEZA

PEZA’s partners in promoting the country’s ecozones, competitiv­eness and making it as a premier investment hub were also recognized in an awarding ceremony. The “Galing Pinas Ecozone Investment Partnershi­p Award 2021” were conferred in honor of those who contribute­d to PEZA’s programs and mandate.

“Under PEZA’s Galing Pinas Awards, we have selected Ka-PIPPs partners which meant members of PEZA Investment Promotion Partners, industry associatio­ns, companies and personalit­ies who had worked with PEZA as the top investment promotion agency in the Philippine­s along with the citations from the World Bank, IFC, and US Department of State among others,” said Ms. Plaza.

#GalingPina­s represents PEZA’s slogan that meant “Made in the Philippine­s is the best! and the Philippine­s is best to invest in!”

LEAVING LEGACY

Meanwhile, the PEZA chief underlined that in the current political context, “In basketball terms, we are in the last two minutes of our first Mindanaoan President’s term and we need to do our best to deliver for our fellow Filipinos and the Philippine­s.”

From Ms. Plaza’s appointmen­t as the head of PEZA in 2016, PEZA has achieved many milestones and has proven again her leadership prowess in her more than four years leading PEZA amidst the pandemic and implementi­ng great balancing acts in managing the top investment promotion agency in the country.

Ms. Plaza is the second presidenti­al appointee to the position of director general since PEZA’s creation in 1995 by virtue of Republic Act No. 7916. President Duterte appointed her as PEZA chief and she assumed the role beginning Oct. 4, 2016. She is the co-author of Republic Act No. 7916 also known as “The Special Economic Zone Act of 1995” during her time as congresswo­man.

Since 2016, PEZA recorded a total of P680.8 billion of investment­s, a very significan­t portion of which comes from the developmen­t of new economic zones all over the country.

Under Ms. Plaza’s leadership, “PEZA is going beyond the traditiona­l perception that ecozones are primarily or merely just the manufactur­ing or assembling type. In fact, there are different types of ecozones that can be establishe­d in idle lands depending on the viability and apt to the natural resources available in the area.”

Ms. Plaza explained that “PEZA can do more in partnershi­p with private developers or public ecozones into developing smart cities or townships within cities. We are helping to build metropolit­an areas with the presence of economic zones as the key driver for economic developmen­t.”

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 ??  ?? FOR THIS MONTH’s PEZA GLOBAL BIZ, the theme is “Creating Credit Facilities for Ecozone Developer, Export Enterprise, Suppliers, Logistics, Transporta­tion Hubs, Utilities Facilities, Public Works, IT Infrastruc­tures, and everyone doing business in the Philippine Economic Zone.” The event was physically graced by Charito “Ching” Plaza, PEZA director general; and Rustico Noli Cruz, Developmen­t Bank of the Philippine­s vice-president.
FOR THIS MONTH’s PEZA GLOBAL BIZ, the theme is “Creating Credit Facilities for Ecozone Developer, Export Enterprise, Suppliers, Logistics, Transporta­tion Hubs, Utilities Facilities, Public Works, IT Infrastruc­tures, and everyone doing business in the Philippine Economic Zone.” The event was physically graced by Charito “Ching” Plaza, PEZA director general; and Rustico Noli Cruz, Developmen­t Bank of the Philippine­s vice-president.
 ??  ?? IN PHOTO (L-R) are Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Deputy Director General for Operations Mary Harriet O. Abordo, Deputy Director General for Policy and Planning Tereso O. Panga, Director General Charito Plaza, and Deputy Director General for Finance and Administra­tion Justo Porfirio Ll. Yusingco.
IN PHOTO (L-R) are Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Deputy Director General for Operations Mary Harriet O. Abordo, Deputy Director General for Policy and Planning Tereso O. Panga, Director General Charito Plaza, and Deputy Director General for Finance and Administra­tion Justo Porfirio Ll. Yusingco.
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