Senators tackle bills on Bulacan ecozone and freeport amid concern on fiscal risks

TOUTING it as possible the next major economic hub, senators on Wednesday moved bills establishing the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport, in a legislative bid to revive a measure earlier vetoed in 2022 over fiscal risks and possible conflict among agencies over their mandates.

Senator Grace Poe, presiding at the Committee on Economic Affairs’ public hearing, asked government agencies, communities and other stakeholders for recommendations to address concerns about the proposal.

Poe, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, described the proposed Bulacan ecozone and freeport as the “next major economic and business hub” outside of Metro Manila that could attract foreign investments and spur development in the country.

At the hearing, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, described proposals to establish the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport as a measure that would usher in more development in the province and Central Luzon, and provide jobs to thousands, if not millions, of Filipinos, particularly Bulakeños. The senator is from Bulacan.

Villanueva explained that when they were deliberating on the proposed ecozone during the previous Congress, it was estimated that aside from complementing the construction of the New Manila International Airport, the Bulacan Ecozone could bring in as much as $200 billion in annual export revenues.

“The measure that we filed, in particular, is a recalibration of the bill filed in the 18th Congress and introduces new provisions and safeguards to ensure that the creation and operation of the proposed Bulacan ecozone is within the framework of national development plans, policies, and goals and subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations,” the

Majority Leader said, “We hope that with the eventual passage of this measure, this vision will soon become a reality.”

For his part, Sen. Win Gatchalian raised the need to thoroughly study the veto message of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on House Bill (HB) 7575, which sought the establishment of the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (BACSEZFA).

This review will ensure that the proposed measure seeking to establish the BACSEZFA will not suffer the same fate, he said.

“We have to make sure that we address all the concerns that are in the veto message so that we will come up with a very effective proposed measure that will be acceptable not only for us in the legislature but also on the Executive side,” Gatchalian affirmed during the hearing.

Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri, for his part, also weighed in in favor of setting up the Bulacan Special Economic Zone, which he said would spur economic growth and infrastructure development in the area. “It remains a crucial catalyst in attracting investments, creating development and jobs in the area. Once we open it to investments, I think we will achieve seven to eight percent Gross Domestic Product growth rate and bring down unemployment [rate] to 1 percent,” Zubiri said at the hearing.

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito also supported the establishment of the ecozone and freeport. Ejercito said the airport is not just a mode of transportation but also a hub of economic activity. “This has been my advocacy— infrastructure development— because it will spread out the development, decongest Metro Manila, create opportunities in the countryside, and stimulate economic growth,” Ejercito said.

San Miguel Corporation is currently building a new airport in Bulakan, Bulacan. The new airport will cover 2,500 hectares and will accommodate six runways, with a total capacity of 100 million passengers annually.